All Aboard
by Cathy9
Summary: After leaving her cheating fiancé at the altar Grace Hale decides to go on her honeymoon alone. She never imagined she'd meet a Cullen man who would change not only her life but her siblings as well. Our favourite Hales and Cullens in Italy. Humans
1. Eye Candy and Fantasy Girl

Grace Hale watched her sister and two bridesmaids enter the church and head down the aisle.

"Darling are you sure you want to do this? I can ..."

"Daddy, I'm perfectly fine and I know in the bottom of my heart that I'm making the right decision."

Richard Hale kissed his daughter on the cheek and gave her a hug. "You really do look stunning."

"Thank you daddy, time to go they are playing my song." Grace air kissed her father, not wanting any of her red lipstick to stain his cheek and strutted down the aisle. She heard the gasps and murmurs as she made her way towards her fiancé with a serene smile on her face. Grace knew none of her guests expected her to strut down the aisle in a skintight Grecian style red ball gown that highlighted her curves. She looked over at her fiancé James, noticed the look of pure terror in his eyes and laughed. Her laugh chilled James to the bone and he knew there was no escape. She whispered something to Father O'Day and went straight up to the pulpit.

"Ladies and gentleman, I'm sorry to tell you that there will be no wedding today. Yesterday, I returned home a couple hours early and discovered my, excuse my language Father; slut of an assistant Victoria riding James reverse cowgirl style. Further more, when caught James had the audacity to ask me if I'd like to join them. I thought it was only fair to return the utter humiliation I felt to them both today. Victoria you are fired and James you will find your belongings sitting outside of my townhouse right now. The locks have been changed, I'm keeping the ring, and I'm going on our honeymoon alone. If you so much as try to contact me ever again I'll let Jasper do what he wanted to do last night when I called him. You are all invited to stay for mass and the reception will follow at five tonight except it will be a celebration of getting rid of utter scum. Your wedding gifts will all be returned once I get back from Europe."

I noticed my sister Rose heading over to James and I thought about stopping her for a fraction of a second before my better angels told me this would be acceptable under the circumstances. One broken nose coming up, I thought as she touched his shoulder then she surprised me as she used her full force to knee him in the groin. James dropped to the floor screaming in pain.

"Forgive me Father for I have sinned." She stated to Father O'Day.

Father O'Day pushed down his urge to laugh and managed to simply grin. "You are forgiven my child."

"Victoria where for art thou?" Rose asked with an evil grin.

I had the pleasure of watching terror settle in her face as she struggled out of the pew and ran towards the exit of the church. I actually still couldn't believe that she dared to come to the wedding. I looked over at James who was still crumpled on the floor and walked over to his parents. "I'm truly sorry for embarrassing you Mr. and Mrs. Reed. You've been nothing but kind to me the last four years and I really liked you a lot. I'll miss you both."

"Grace, I'm truly sorry for what my idiot son did to you. I certainly did not raise him to be a deviant. Once you come back from Europe, I'll have you over for tea. I hope that you can find it in your heart to not leave us at the altar. Don't worry our son will not be residing with us."

The first tears I'd shed over this entire affair slid down my cheeks as I embraced the woman I thought would be the perfect mother-in-law. She pulled me in tighter and whispered in my ear, "I won't let go until you are ready. You can cry for a minute or two hours I don't care, I've got you." Her sweet words only made me cry more. A few minutes later I heard Father O'Day start the mass and I pulled myself together. Mrs. Reed kissed my forehead and I turned around to see my brother Jasper standing there smirking at me.

"Once a drama queen, always a drama queen." He chuckled quietly making me laugh. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and escorted me back to the pew my family was in. Rose took my left hand and Jasper my right and they didn't let go until we went up for communion. I was surprised how many guests had stayed for the mass. James was gone and so was his best man Tyler. His groomsmen Laurent and Mike were sitting beside the Reeds and mouthed sorry to me. I smiled at them both and knelt down to say a few prayers.

Several hours and glasses of champagne latter I was working on my third piece of wedding cake. A third of the guests did not show up for the reception, which left the possibility of seconds. Jasper almost ate his weight in crab puffs during the cocktail hour yet he still requested a second bacon wrapped filet mignon main course. Dinner was delicious, my filet melted in my mouth but it was the cake that I had been waiting for. Five tiers of moist chocolate brownie cake with chocolate frosting covered with to die for butter cream icing. I had the entire top tier at my table and fully intended on eating it all.

"Jasper will you go over there and tell Miss Piggy that their is going to be a wardrobe malfunction if she eats anymore cake."

"Rose first of all her douche of a fiancé cheated on her in her own bed. Secondly, it's her wedding cake she's eating and finally, you know she never gains weight when she eats sweets. I think you've gained a pound just watching her eat that cake."

"Well would you go over there with me so we can slow her consumption down at least?"

"It's my cake go away." I responded when my siblings sat down at my table. Rose rolled her eyes and Jasper stuck his thumb in the butter cream icing which forced me to hit him in the arm. We watched our parents on the dance floor for a few minutes, agreeing how lucky we were to have parents who were still happily married and madly in love after 36 years.

"You still owe me a spin around the dance floor." Jasper reminded me.

I looked at my brother and smiled. I still didn't understand why he didn't have a steady girlfriend. He was a kind, sensitive old soul who treated woman with respect while still managing to lust after them. If I had a dollar for every time he said, "great rack" I'd be a millionaire. Physically, even I had to admit that my brother was hot. Jasper was 6"3 with a medium build, honey blond hair, warm light brown eyes and a killer smile. He had a small stable of fillies as he called them, that he went out with and brought home. He was about to turn 34 and Rose and I thought he should settle down and get married. Thanks to James, Rose and I wouldn't be able to mention marriage for quite some time. Jasper was the epitome of the over protective big brother and Rose and I loved him for it. He was always there for us. "Don't worry Jasp, I want to dance with you so I won't forget. Why don't you get Rose out there so I can finish my cake in peace. One slice won't kill you Rose."

"I already had two bites I'm good. My hips are big enough, I don't need to add to them."

"Please Rose, your hips are perfect, now go dance!"

Rosalie could always find fault with her body, which was absurd since she was a stunning and statuesque 30-year-old beauty. She was 5"9 with deep blue eyes, wavy golden blond hair and a killer rack. She was curvy in all the right places and was always capturing men's attention. On first meeting she came across as cold and aloof but once you got to know her you realized how warm, generous and fiercely loyal she was. She worked out five days a week and was always after Jasper and I about the crap we ate. I loved sweet stuff while Jasper preferred salty snacks. Rose's weakness was spicy chicken wings. She had broken up with her boyfriend Albert, five months ago after dating him for a year. Rose said they didn't want the same things out of life and it was for the best.

I had finished the cake by the time Jasper came to collect me for our dance. He made small talk with me for a few minutes until I couldn't take it any longer. "Spit it out Mr. Hale."

"Rose and I have been talking and we thought it would be fun to join you on your honeymoon. The train is sold out but we can join you in Venice. None of us have ever been to Italy. Remember how much fun we had in England and Scotland before you met the jackass?

"Do you both really want to see Italy or are you just doing it..."

"Yes we are concerned about you but we know that you'll get over him quickly. We want to offer some support but mostly we want to have fun. Italian women have great racks."

"Really, Rose is going to ogle woman's breasts?" I laughed.

"No, she's going to ogle Italian men, I'm going for the breasts."

I started laughing and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you big brother."

"I love you little sis." He responded as he enveloped me in a bear hug.

We danced a few more times before sitting back down at our family table. Jasper filled mom and dad in on our little travel plan and they told us it was a brilliant idea. Rose wanted to go to Milan for the shopping and I promised her we'd go. I was due to fly out Thursday afternoon and stay in London until Sunday morning when the Orient Express left Victoria Station. I'd arrive in Venice on Monday early evening and I wanted a few days to myself. Rose looked up flights on her iPhone and called the airline to book two seats to Venice via Rome the following Friday afternoon.

The DJ had packed up and left a little after one and the remaining guests followed them shortly after, stopping by the table my siblings and I were holding court at to tell me it was a hell of a party. That made me feel even better about the decisions I'd made in regards to the non-wedding. Soon just my immediate family remained; mom and dad kissed the three of us and confirmed that we would all be at dinner Sunday night. Mom had taken two of the cake layers home with the left over hors d'oeuvres. The cater came out from the kitchen with two medium sized boxes. "Grace, your mother said you'd want the last two pieces of cake for breakfast and the last of the hors d'oeuvres for lunch. May I say that I wished I could have been at the church today when you called off the wedding and humiliated him. It was very brave of you and still going ahead with the reception; well I think you rock. It was a great party."

"Thank you Heather, your food rocked too. I'm going to tell everyone I know that you are the best cater in the city. Do you have any business cards left?"

"Your father took them all. I'd be happy to mail you some more."

"How about I stop by the cafe for lunch Tuesday and I'll collect them."

"That sounds perfect to me. See you then, good night."

"Jasper and I have decided that we are having a sleep over now at your place. Jazz think you can carry me out to the car? My feet have staged a mutiny."

"Rose I told you buying new shoes was not a good idea, a week is not long enough to break in heels that high. I can run in these Louboutins but I've had them for two years. By the way, I like how the two of you are planning my life now."

"Good because we are going to be meddling in your life for the foreseeable future." Jasper stated. "All right blonde, stand on the chair it will make it easier for me to pick you up."

Rose handed me her purse and shoes before standing on the chair. Once Jasper had a good hold of her I handed them back. I grabbed the two boxes, put my purse on top of them and followed them out. The sight of Rose being carried out bridal style made me angry. It was a good thing James was nowhere around or I might have killed him. I look awful in prison orange.

"Grace, you're awfully quiet back there, please tell me you aren't eating cake in my car."

"No Jasper, I'm not eating in your precious car. I'm processing some rage."

"Kay, remember you humiliated him in front of his own boss who was very fond of you. You have the ring and he paid for the honeymoon. I'm proud of you Grace, not many woman would have had the courage and strength to do what you did today."

"It was pure rage and an overwhelming desire to make them both pay that got me through the day. I hope the little slut gave him an STD."

"I hope you two always used a condom. I have a funny feeling this was not the first time they fucked." Rose said quietly.

"Yes and when I was playing the hurt fiancée last night he said that it was only the third or fourth time they hooked up. I figure that means they've been screwing each other for six months. I'm so glad I insisted he pay for all the hotels upfront. I have the vouchers and it's only a twenty-five dollar admin. fee to change dates as long as space is available."

"Crap, I wasn't thinking of hotel rooms when I booked our flights."

"Don't worry about it Rose, I'm booked at the Hotel Cipriani in the Palladio suite. The bed is huge and there is a living room with a couch. We can alternate the couch."

"No, it's your honeymoon Grace, Jazz and I will alternate sleeping on the couch."

"Fine but I have the shortest legs; you both might wish to reconsider when we get there. All the hotels we booked are among the finest in Italy. Total luxury, there are spas in many of them Rose."

"I'll be in heaven."

"Speaking of sleeping arrangements, you are taking the fainting couch Rose and I'll take the couch." Jasper stated.

"No I want the couch."

"Fine Rose gets the couch. You can share my bed brother dearest. Just remember I'm not one of your fillies. Hands off the rack." I laughed.

Both my siblings kept extra clothes and sleep wear at my place. James traveled for work at least once a month and one or both of them would keep me company. I was surprised Rose didn't call dibs on my bed with its fresh new Egyptian cotton sheets on it. I put the cake and hors d'oeuvres in the fridge and headed straight to my bedroom to grab the oversized T-shirt I slept in when James wasn't home. Rose emerged from my room sized closet in yoga pants and a tank top. Jasper was standing at the door to go in but I waltzed in a second before him to hang up my gown. By the time I washed my makeup off Rose was asleep on the couch and Jasper was sprawled out on my side of the bed. "Move it Jasp that's my side." He moved over and made himself comfortable under the covers. I tossed and turned for twenty minutes until Jasper pulled me closer and wrapped his right arm over my waist. "Go to sleep pumpkin." He whispered and minutes later I was in dreamland.

The rest of the week flew by and before I knew it Wednesday had arrived and I was running around collecting last minute items to pack. I debated for an hour if I should bring the lingerie I bought with me or not, finally deciding to pack it with two T-shirts if I changed my mind. My carryon was packed with clothes suitable for the Orient Express just in case my luggage got lost. A slightly larger suitcase was half packed leaving room for the shopping trip I planned at Harvey Nichols and Harrods while I was in London. I also had a third empty piece of luggage for my Italian purchases.

Jasper dropped me off at Logan airport and waited with me until I got to the security checkpoint. He gave me a big bear hug and a couple of kisses on the top of my head. We did the I love you's and said good-bye. I promised him I'd call once I arrived at the hotel safely which would be around 9:30 in the morning Thursday. I relaxed in the Virgin Clubhouse until it was time for my flight to leave. I liked flying on Virgin mostly because they had great guest lounges and there was always a deli where you could get a snack or in my case an extra sandwich to take on board even though I was flying first class.

I was able to get an early check in at the Dorchester Hotel and spent most of Thursday sleeping in a beautiful suite that featured a separate bedroom and sitting room. I loved the marble bathroom and took an hour-long bubble bath each night before retiring to bed. I went shopping and decided on Saturday that I was not going to order room service for dinner. When Jasper, Rose and I were in London we spent a lot of time eating at The Kings Head pub and the concierge had a driver drop me off. I was not a fan of beers or ale but The Kings Head had an impressive wine list and still had a strawberry and lime cider that I found delicious. I ordered Deep Fried Brie as a starter and Fish and Chips as my main course. Eating alone was usually awkward so I sat at the bar instead. The bartender kept a running conversation with me and convinced me that I wanted a pudding. The very first pudding or dessert listed was a warm chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream.

My bartender became busy so I found myself looking around while I slowly savoured my pudding. My eye kept coming back to two guys sitting in a booth. They were both incredibly handsome eye candy. The easy way they were carrying on made me think that they were best friends. They were both tall but I couldn't tell how tall since they were sitting. I used Jasper as my guide and figured they were both over six feet. They had both made eye contact with me a few times. I smiled and they smiled back. The one on the right had curly dark brown hair and azure blue eyes. He was the taller of the two and had a very muscular build. The grey Henley shirt he wore was snug and showed off his build. He had the most adorable dimples when he smiled and his booming laughter was the contagious type. His face still held that look of child like wonder. His friend on the left had the most interesting hair I'd seen in quite some time. It was a little wild and unruly and I couldn't decide if it was more copper or bronze so I concluded that it was a combination of both. His eyes were a deep green and his smile was dazzling. He smirked a lot. Compared to his buddy his build was more thin and lanky but still muscular.

I was thinking about going over to say hi when two girls brushed past me and sat down at their table. I paid my bill and visited the bathroom. The girls were still at the table so I walked past without another look and headed outside to catch a cab. I wanted to take a bath and get a good night sleep so I'd be refreshed for my adventure on the Orient Express the next morning.

EMPOV

I still can't believe that my brother turned down his free trip to Venice via the Venice Simplon Orient Express with a hotel stay at the opulent hotel Cipriani. The trip was a gift from the CEO of his company for all his hard work and he was missing the train portion to work on Monday as well as the first hotel night since he was arriving late Tuesday evening. When he called me to ask if I'd like to take his place I jumped at the opportunity. I flew in from Chicago a week in advance and played tourist while Edward worked. Edward was always working and while his career as an investment banker had skyrocketed he had an almost non-existent social life.

I'd dragged him out Saturday night and he brought me to his neighborhood pub The Kings Head. We settled in a both for four and ordered two pints of beer. I was noshing on beer battered mushrooms with smoked paprika and lemon mayo when I noticed a very attractive blond sitting at the bar drinking a cider. She was definitely my type. She had long dark blond hair that was up in a simple ponytail showing off a long graceful neck. From her profile alone, I could tell she had magnificent boobs; she looked like she was a 36 D or maybe even double D. Her waist was slim and her legs looked long in dark jeans and killer stilettos. I pointed her out to Edward and she must have felt us staring at her because she turned to look at us. She was eating a brownie; actually she was savoring it and it looked like she was moaning in pleasure. I watched her lips and had to adjust myself. She caught us looking again and smiled. We both smiled back and Edward commented on her green eyes and cute little button nose. I agreed with him while I checked out her cute little ass. I had a vision of her straddling me as I kneaded that ass and sucked on her nipples. My brother snapped me out of my fantasy and admonished me for my thoughts. Apparently, I have a grin that just gives me away every time.

We were fighting about who was going to invite her over to join us when two girls came up to the table and sat down. The brunette was Edward's neighbour Angela and the strawberry blond was her friend Tanya. Angela was very nice, an American working at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the restoration department. She had taken me on a private tour on Tuesday. Tanya was British and managed a popular gentlemen's club in Soho. She was constantly hitting on Edward even though he was always telling her he was not interested. I looked over Angela's head to see the bar but my fantasy girl was gone. I sighed and started listening to what Angela was saying. Edward used me as an excuse to leave early and we were back at his flat by eleven.

Edward insisted on helping me pack when we got back to his flat. I'd pretty much worn jeans all week but I knew one was expected to dress to impress on the train. I brought two three-piece suits with me and several different shirts and ties. I also had jeans, T-shirts and two pairs of shorts. My older brother had to give me credit and I basked in it until he slapped me upside the head. We decided I should wear my gray pants and jacket with a blue shirt and tie for the morning. Once everything was packed in two suitcases I collapsed on the bed.

"Tired Bro?" Edward inquired with a smirk.

"Sort of. I'm glad I told Alice that I was only arriving on Tuesday. I know this is the Orient Express but I still can't picture myself having a good nights rest on it. I couldn't handle Alice Monday evening."

"I don't blame you, Tigger couldn't handle Alice without a few nights of sleep."

We both started laughing. Alice was our baby sister and what she was lacking in height she more than made up with energy. Our mother once said she out tinked Tinker Bell and it was true. We called her the evil pixie mostly behind her back. Alice would turn 30 on September 25th and we planned on taking her out for a night of dinner and dancing. Alice extended her neck so she could claim to be 4"10. She has black hair cut short in a pixie style, kind dark brown eyes, a small rack to match her tiny body and a love of all things fashion related. I was three years older than her and Edward five. We towered over Alice since I was 6"5 and Edward was 6"2 but she had us both wrapped tightly around her pinky and she was constantly barging into our lives. It didn't matter that I was in Chicago, Edward in London and she resided in Venice she manipulated us via long distance. Edward had it worse than I did since he was only an hour and a half flight away and she had the key to his flat.

"Are you going to go to the train station with me?' I asked.

"No can do, I have a meeting at nine sharp. Don't forget your Kindle. I know you, the scenery will get boring after a few hours."

"So will reading. I think I'll eat my way through the trip."

"Now that sounds like you Em. I'm going to go to bed. I'll wake you up at seven so we can have breakfast together."

"Cool, I think I'll go to bed too. Make sure the coffee maker is set this time."

"I'll do it right now. Night."

"Night."

I thought about my fantasy girl again, picturing her perfect lips leaving kisses all the way down my body. My hands gripping that long dark blond hair to keep her in place as she used her talented tongue and luscious mouth on me. Just thinking about her was making me hard and I knew I'd never get to sleep unless I did something about it. I pictured Alice in a three way and little Emmett died very quickly. Now I needed brain bleach to get that image out of my mind. I thought of fuzzy puppies playing in a field and then I started counting them until I was asleep.


	2. Coffee and Chocolate

I forgot this in Chapter 1, Stephenie Meyer owns the characters you recognize. The rest are mine and I don't like to share. Thank you to Annie, Debb and Scilla for the advance read. No beta yet (Any volunteers?) so blame any mistakes on me. Enjoy!

Grace changed her mind three times before settling on a knee length black pencil skirt, a royal purple cowl neck silk blouse, five inch black Louboutin heels and the purple and gold Murano necklace she bought at Harrods. She planned on buying several pieces of Murano jewelry while she was in Venice. She had checked in her luggage and checked in with the hostess at the platform reception desk. She handed over the beige leather ticket folder with all her documents inside.

"Welcome Miss Hale, I have you traveling with a Mr..."

"I left him at the altar. I'll be traveling solo."

"Oh, well I assure you that you will enjoy your journey with us."

"I plan on it. I've dreamed of being a passenger on the Orient Express for more than twenty years."

"You won't be disappointed. You've been assigned to the Côte d'Azur dining car."

"The Lalique car!" I exclaimed while doing a short Snoopy happy dance.

"We love passengers like you. I'll let the train manager know how interested and enthusiastic you are about the train."

"Thank you, I'll want to chat with him."

"You are a bit early, the train generally pulls in to the platform at 9:50 and boarding starts at 10:15. If you come back at 9:45 I'll let you through the gate and you can take pictures of the train arriving."

"Thank you so much I'd love to do that. Is there anywhere I can get a coffee?"

"There is a cafe just to the left of us. The coffee is pretty good."

"Thanks, I'll see you in a bit."

Grace made her way over to the cafe and ordered a large coffee. She found an empty table for two and sat down hoping that she wouldn't be the only single passenger on board. She was hoping there might be a small group of women celebrating a birthday in grand style. Otherwise, the train manager and stewards would get very tired of answering her questions. Grace flipped through her travel documents while sipping on her coffee. Her seat assignments were inside. The train number meant little to her but she knew she had a cabin suite which was essentially two cabins combined. One cabin would remain set up, as a lounge while the other would be turned into a sleeping cabin during dinner. She was still smiling about dining on the Côte d'Azur car. Grace was so busy daydreaming about the trip that she didn't notice him enter the cafe.

Emmett had checked his two pieces of luggage and flirted with the pretty girl at the reception desk. She directed him to the cafe when he asked her about coffee and told him to return at 10:15 to board the train. While he waited for his coffee he scanned the cafe to see if there was anywhere to sit down. He did a double take when he saw a woman with dark blonde hair sitting alone at a table for two. He noticed the beige leather folder she held in her hand and grinned. She was a fellow passenger. Emmett was trying to get a better look at her when she lowered the folder. His heart stopped for a moment when he realized it was his fantasy girl from last night.

"Next! Excuse me Sir but you are holding up the line. What can I get you?"

Emmett was too busy looking at his girl to notice that he was being called. It took the guy behind him nudging his shoulder to snap him back in to the present.

"Oh sorry, I'll have a large coffee with three milks and sugars and do you have anything chocolate?"

"We've got a chocolate muffin and Cadbury's."

"I'll take the muffin and six of the bars."

"Which bars Sir? (Why do I always have to serve the slow ones?) We have several. Why don't you pick them out while I get your coffee."

Emmett glanced over at her and picked out six dark chocolate bars. He paid for his items and made a beeline straight to her table. "Excuse me but is this seat taken?"

"No feel free to take it." Grace answered without looking away from the folder.

She heard the chair scrape backwards just a bit then the table dip. Grace looked up right away and saw a blue shirt and tie. She looked up further and her jaw dropped, the muscular guy from the bar was sitting across the table. "You were at The Kings Head last night with another guy."

"Yes I was, you were sitting at the bar driving us both to distraction. You disappeared before I could invite you to join us."

"I was going to say hi to both of you but two girls beat me to it. They were still there when I was ready to leave so I just left."

"I wish you had approached us anyway. I noticed that you really enjoyed that brownie last night, care to split my muffin with me?"

Grace looked down at the table, spotted the muffin and dark chocolate bars. She really wanted one of the bars. She loved dark chocolate but he didn't offer them to her and she didn't feel right about asking for one. "Sure, that's very kind of you..."

"Emmett, Emmett Cullen."

"Thank you Emmett, I'm Grace Hale. You were right about the brownie I almost had an orgasm eating it."

Emmett gulped and felt his pants getting tighter. He kept telling himself to focus on her eyes and not the rest of her body. "Your eyes, they looked green last night but they look more blue today."

"That's because they are hazel, my top is such a deep purple that it makes them look blue. I'm sure you hear this all the time but your eyes are gorgeous."

Emmett blushed which made him even more attractive to her. He had shoved a rather large piece of the muffin in his mouth so he couldn't answer her immediately. He showed her his beige leather ticket folder and watched in amusement as her jaw dropped again. She reset her jaw and plucked the folder right out of his hand. "Please tell me that you are traveling alone."

He smiled then answered her, "My eyes occasionally come up in conversations to be truthful but the compliment means more to me coming from you. Yes I'm traveling alone, please tell me that you are too."

"I am, do you mind if I check to see if we are seated anywhere near each other?"

"Be my guest."

Grace examined his information and sighed. You've been assigned to Etoile du Nord for dining but we should be able to change it. That is if you don't mind eating with me."

"I would be happy to join you but how are we going to change it?"

"My trip was booked for two people which means the seat next to or across from me should be empty for the entire journey. The only thing we won't change is the sleeping arrangements. The girl at the reception desk liked me so I'm sure she'll make this work for us." Grace smiled and took a small piece of the muffin. "Not bad but the brownie was better."

They finished the muffin and their coffees just in time for Grace to make it back to the platform. Emmett went up to the reception desk with her and the girl took his documents and changed everything to match Grace's details. She opened the gate and Grace handed Emmett her purse. "He's my assistant can he join me?"

Emmett used his puppy dog eyes on her and she allowed him to join Grace. Four minutes later they heard the train, Grace set her camera up and was waiting for the train to enter the station. As soon as it did she took a dozen pictures of the engine and then another dozen or so of the gleaming brown and beige British Pullman cars. "Look how shiny the cars are Emmett."

Emmett looked at Grace instead and saw her eyes dancing with excitement and her gorgeous full smile. "How many years have you waited for this moment?"

"I'm 32 so 23 years. My ultimate trip was taking the Concorde to London and then the Orient Express to Venice both ways and sailing on the QE2 back to New York. The Concorde stopped flying, the QE2 was retired but the journey on the Orient Express remains."

"Grace please tell me that you are staying at the Hotel Cipriani in Venice."

"I am, in the Palladio suite. It has it's own private dock. I take it that you are staying there as well."

"Yes, but just in a normal pool view junior suite. Will you have dinner with me Monday night?"

"Sure, but shouldn't we see how dinner tonight goes?"

"Tonight's dinner will be amazing. I know it will be just perfect."

The train had come to a complete stop and white-jacketed waiters and stewards emerged from the cars. The men were dressed exactly as she expected since looking at the glossy brochure for the Orient Express when she was nine. They wore navy trousers with gold stripes down the outsides, white jackets with navy lapels with the gold VS-O-E insignia pins, gold braid epaulettes, navy bow ties on white shirts; several of them wore short white gloves. Grace couldn't contain her glee and reached out to take Emmett's hand squeezing it before swinging his arm a few times.

"You are downright giddy Grace."

"Sorry, I can't seem to contain my excitement."

"Then don't, I find it very adorable. You've got me pumped up for this adventure now too."

"You weren't excited before?"

"I was a little excited. When I got the call from my brother asking me if I wanted to take his place three weeks ago I knew it was an opportunity not to be missed. I said yes immediately then told him he was an idiot for not taking the trip himself. The trip was a bonus from his CEO for all the hard work he does but he had a meeting at nine this morning that he insisted he had to attend. I'm sure the CEO wouldn't have minded him being absent. He's a workaholic. He's flying in to Venice Tuesday night."

"Was that your brother you were with?"

"Yes, King's Head is his neighborhood pub."

"What colour is his hair? I couldn't decide if it was bronze or copper. Does he own a comb?"

Emmett started laughing hard and his booming laughter drew quite a lot of attention their way. His laugh was contagious and she started chuckling too. It took a few minutes for them to both contain themselves. "Damn, I wish Eddie boy was here to hear that. His hair has been like that since the day he was born. It would never stay in place. The only way it will stay for a few hours is if he slicks it back with a ton of gel and he doesn't like the look. I call him ginger to annoy him but honestly I'd say it's a mix of browns, bronze, copper and a dash of red. He's a mutt."

"I noticed he ran his hand through it often, no wonder it doesn't stay in place."

"That's one of his ticks, he does it without even thinking."

"Excuse me Miss Hale?"

"Yes?"

"I'm Louis Saint George, the train manager. Elizabeth told me that you are very interested in the train."

"Yes I am, I've been dreaming about this voyage for 23 years. This is Emmett Cullen and please call me Grace."

"Hello Mr. Cullen. Grace I can't speak to you right now but I know which cabin you are in and I'll stop by before dinner. If you'd like you could board the train now and take a few pictures of the interior. It will only be ten minutes or so but..."

"That is perfect, thank you very much. I'll look forward to seeing you later."

Emmett followed Grace through the five parlour cars listening to her gush over the tables set for lunch, white linen, crystal goblets, silver vases of fresh flowers, blue and white porcelain. He grinned when she took pictures of the tulip shaped glass and brass overhead lights. He rolled his eyes when she started taking pictures of the different luggage racks and the Pullman crests.

"Stop rolling your eyes at me Mr. Cullen." She said sassily as she turned and took a picture of his face.

"Hey! How did you know that I was rolling my eyes?"

"I've got spidey senses."

"Cute, very cute Miss Hale. I see something edible on the tables behind us, I think we should get back to our own carriage."

"Hungry Emmett? After devouring that muffin I thought you'd be good for awhile."

"I'm hungry all the time Grace and right now it's not food I really want."

"What do you want then Emmett?"

EMPOV

It was fun watching Grace take pictures. She was like a kid in a candy store and I couldn't help absorbing some of her enthusiasm. The train was impressive looking but I was more interested in the amount of time I'd get to spend with her. While she took a picture of the flowers on the table I was admiring that cute ass of hers in the snug black skirt. The skirt ended just above her kneecap and I realized that her legs weren't as long as I thought they were but they still looked great, especially in those black stiletto heels. Studying her profile from feet away instead of an entire bar had allowed me to confirm that her boobs were 36 DD's. She was either wearing a very good push up bra or naturally blessed because the girls were standing tall and firm. Then she moved on and started taking pictures of the brass luggage racks. I couldn't help rolling my eyes and was blown away when she called me on it. When she asked me if I was hungry I was looking at her full raspberry stained lips and all I wanted to do was taste them. My brain filter stopped working again when I admitted it was not food I wanted. I was surprised when she asked me what I wanted with a sexy grin. You naked on this table I thought and managed a less crude answer.

"I want to taste your lips. May I kiss you Grace?"

She blushed and put her camera down on the closest table. She took two steps towards me and placed her right hand on my shoulder. For the first time in my life I felt that electric charge they talk about in Alice's romance novels. She looked me straight in the eyes and said yes. I waited a beat to see if she was going to move in any closer and went in for the kill. I ran my hands through her hair and held the back of her head as I brought my lips to hers. She tasted like chocolate and coffee; two of my favourite flavors on earth. I felt her other hand make it's way to my shoulder as I deepened the kiss. I finally had to pull away to breathe and ran my nose down her neck inhaling her intoxicating scent.

"You taste delicious and smell heavenly." I whispered huskily.

"You certainly know how to kiss Emmett. How did I taste?"

"Incredible, like warm chocolate and coffee. Your lips are so soft. What perfume are you wearing?"

"None, It's probably the apple scented body butter I used this morning. We seem to be holding up traffic. We better get back to our car."

I groaned when her hands slid off my shoulder then turned to collect her purse from the table behind me. She grabbed my left hand and ushered me to the door. I went down first and reached for her hand to help her down. We walked up three cars to our dinning car and found our table for two. She put her camera back in her purse and leaned it against the window.

There was a dish of olives and a dish of nuts sitting on the table. Grace picked out two cashews and popped them in her mouth. I took two almonds and pushed the dish of olives closer to her.

"Not a fan of olives Emmett?"

"Nah, I don't mind olive oil but not a fan of olives. What about you?"

"I could eat them but they are far from my favourite. I love cashews."

I chuckled, "I can see that, you keep picking them out. I have something much better than olives that we can snack on." I went in to my jacket pocket and pulled out two of the dark chocolate bars. I handed Grace one and tore the top open on mine.

"Emmett how did you know dark chocolate was my absolute favourite?"

"I just figured you were serious about your chocolate and I think dark is the best so I went with it."

"I'm glad you did. It's not Belgium dark chocolate but this certainly will do."

"It also means I can taste you again when we get our glass of champagne. It goes well with chocolate."

"It does but what makes you think you'll get a second kiss?"

I smiled smugly at her, "I know I'll get another kiss because you like me Miss Hale."

"Really? You think that just because I find you attractive and your dimples should be registered as a lethal weapons that I'll let you kiss me again?"

"Lethal weapons? Oh I know I'll get several kisses now. Don't forget you also told me I knew how to kiss." I flashed her my dimples and broke off a piece of my chocolate.

Before I could eat my chocolate, she reached over the table, put some pressure on my thumb and forefinger then gave me a devilish smile. I gave her my curious look arching one eyebrow while I tilted my head and felt the piece of chocolate slide out of my fingers. She popped the chocolate in her mouth and grinned at me. Grace picked up my wrist and brought my chocolate covered thumb up to her lips and coated them with melted chocolate. I sucked the remains of chocolate off my thumb and finger while I watched her place another piece in-between her teeth. She was taunting me and I hate to be taunted. I quickly rose from my seat and bit the chocolate off before licking and kissing the melted chocolate off her lips.

"Grace anytime you want a kiss just ask for one. I love to flirt but I don't like to be taunted."

"You're no fun." Grace pouted.

"Miss Hale I'd be happy to show you just how much fun I can be when we are alone."

"That sounds like an intriguing offer. The train is moving! I'm finally realizing a dream and I'm happy that I can share this with you. I'm already having more fun than I would have if my scum bag fiancé, well he would have been my scum bag husband but..."

"Grace, this was your honeymoon trip?"

"Yes."

"I'm sure he was a scum bag but do you mind telling me what happened?"

I couldn't believe that any man would be stupid enough to cheat on Grace. Why eat a hamburger when you could have filet mignon instead? I told her that he was a douche and a wanker and that made her smile. I decided on the spot that Grace was still going to have a romantic adventure on board. She'd just have a much better leading man, me. Now I just needed to learn more about her.

GracePOV

I knew Emmett would eventually ask me why I was solo but I didn't think I'd be the one to bring it up. Emmett was a playful giant who could flirt with the best of them and oh my God could he ever kiss. His first kiss made my entire body tingle and the second one I was glad I was sitting down for. He didn't like to be taunted so I'd have to remember to tease him instead. I wonder if he knew just how willing I'd be to take him up on his kiss offer. We were about twenty minutes out of the station when we were both handed a flute of champagne. I toasted to a memorable journey and Emmett simply said to us. He reached out and placed his left hand over mine on the table and it just felt so right. In a little over an hour with Emmett I'd put James in the garbage and tossed him out. I didn't feel the rage, the betrayal or the wasted years anymore I just wanted to know more about Mr. Emmett Cullen.

"So where are you from Emmett and what do you do for a living?"

"Born in Boston but I grew up in Chicago and still live there. I'm an architect."

"No way! Where in Boston?"

"Cambridge, we moved when I was two. What about you?"

"Born in Boston and still live there. Grew up in Chestnut Hill then moved to Cambridge after school. My brother and sister live in Cambridge too. I own my own landscaping and interior design company with my sister. Rose handles the interior design part."

"Wow, similar professions. My mom is an interior designer and my dad is a neurosurgeon. Edward is an investment banker. My little sister... well... did you know that your necklace is called aventurine? It's when gold threads are used inside Murano glass. Alice is a Murano glass artisan. I'll take you to her studio on Wednesday. What about your brother?"

"Jasper is a full time web designer and part time high school guidance counselor. I call him an empath because he is so good at understanding how anyone feels and is very good at making you feel better about yourself and life in general. He is always my first call."

"Are you the oldest?"

"No, Jasper will be 34 in November, I'm 32 and Rose is 30. You strike me as a middle child too."

"I am, Edward is 35, I'm 33 and Alice will turn 30 on the 25th. I hope you'll still be in Venice to celebrate with us. Alice is going to adore you."

"Well if you don't mind Rose and Jasper joining the party I'll attend. They were a little worried about me and saw this as a great sibling adventure so they are flying in on Saturday."

Grace and Emmett enjoyed lunch and continued to get to know each other. The British Pullman only went as far as Folkestone at which point passengers crossed the channel by coach and the Eurotunnel shuttle. Emmett pushed up the armrest between them and cheekily asked Grace if she wanted to make out. Grace surprised him when she agreed and turned her body so she was facing him. They kissed their way through the Eurotunnel and had those around them convinced that they were a honeymoon couple.


	3. Kisses

Grace reached out for Emmett's hand as soon as they got off the couch. He smiled at her and entwined their fingers as they made their way over to the shiny blue and gold carriages of the Continental Wagon-Lits. The Stewards dressed in blue pants and matching blue jackets with gold buttons and pocket detail were standing outside the sleeping cards waiting to greet their assigned passengers. Emmett's carriage was sleeping car 3544. He noticed it printed on the carriage and stopped.

"Hi I'm Emmett Cullen and I believe this is my car."

"Welcome Mr. Cullen, my name is Marc and I'll be your personal steward."

"Marc, I'd like to escort Miss Hale over to her carriage can you help us she's in 3552?"

"Miss Hale, you are in the next carriage down. Harry will be your steward."

"Thank you. Emmett why don't you go to your cabin and let Marc give you your key. Give me about twenty minutes to get settled and then come on over."

"Kay."

Grace chuckled quietly to herself when she saw that Harry was a red head. He reminded her of an older and slightly less attractive version of Prince Harry. He gave her a bright smile and introductions were made. He helped her in to the carriage and handed her the key to her cabin suite and then proceeded to show her how to open the washbasin and how to call him for anything at anytime during her journey. Harry confirmed that she was dinning in Côte d'Azur and asked which dinner seating she preferred. Emmett and Grace had agreed to do the late dinner so they could spend more time getting to know each other in her cabin. She told Harry that she wanted to configure the cabins so that one stayed as a lounge and the other would change in to a single bed while she was dinning.

Grace opened up her suitcase and quickly changed in to a white and green sundress that hugged her figure and showcased a little bit of cleavage for Emmett's viewing pleasure. Once she was done she looked around the cabin and took several pictures. Harry had told her that her cabin was made in France and decorated by Nelson. It featured a delicate tracery of tiger-lilies and small mauve flower heads. Harry knocked on her door and delivered the beverages she ordered and asked for her passport, as he'd be the one clearing her through immigration while she had fun and slept. She looked at her door and the oval plaques of more stylized flowers with long stems and sighed in contentment. The train began to move and she went back in to the cabin and let out a little squeal of pure joy. She sat down on the comfortable seat that would transform in to her bed later and looked out the window until she heard a knock on her door. Grace opened the door and found a grinning Emmett standing there, his jacket and tie gone. He had the sleeves of his blue shirt rolled up to his elbows and the first two buttons undone. He gave her entire body a full scan lingering on her breasts and her bare feet.

"You look amazing Grace and may I just say that you have spectacular breasts."

Grace laughed and gently tweaked his nose. "Thank you Emmett, I'm rather fond of my breasts too. They were a gift from Mother Nature. Have a seat, I took the liberty of ordering us some coffee."

"Great, I brought two more chocolate bars with me too. I like your cabin, mine feels very confined."

"Hate to break it to you Emmett but it is because you are a giant. You are tall and wide."

"Are you implying I'm fat?" He asked in mock outrage.

"Please, I don't think you have any fat on your body, it's all muscle."

"You are right, I was just teasing."

"No shit Sherlock. I figured that out all by myself."

"Sarcasm, I love it. I think it's sexy as hell. I notice a lack of stilettos, your feet were killing you right?"

"I am sarcastic and pretty much a straight shooter. I don't play games Em. Is it OK if I call you Em?"

"You can call me whatever you desire beautiful. My family calls me Em all the time."

"Good because I like the sound of Em. Anyone ever call you Emmy?"

"Only Alice when she is trying to manipulate me in to doing something she wants."

"I like expensive high heels but I treat them with kid gloves so they are all a few years old and well worn in. I took them off because I had my feet curled up underneath me on the seat."

"Oh. It's refreshing to meet a woman who doesn't play games. I think it is safe to say we are both flirts."

"Yes I'd agree with that. Pour yourself a coffee and come join me in the lounge."

"The lounge. You really went all out on this trip; first class all the way." Emmett commented as he fixed his coffee.

"The best part is that I made James pay in advance for everything. The Cipriani is paid for and so are the other hotels."

"Where else did you plan on going?"

" Milan, Florence, Assisi and Rome."

Emmett took the chocolate bars out of his pocket and handed her one as he sat down beside her and balanced his cup of coffee on his knee. "You'll love Assisi but may I suggest visiting the Cinque Terre between Milan and Florence."

"I've actually heard it is gorgeous there."

"It is breathtaking Grace: the five villages, the architecture, the cliffs, the sea and the beaches. I've thought about retiring there."

"How long is your vacation Em? I'd like you to be my tour guide."

"Edward and I have a flight back to London on September 30th. Two weeks of Alice is usually all we can handle. When do your siblings arrive?"

"September 22nd. I'm currently checking out of the Cipriani on the 27th."

"I promise to take you to the Cinque Terre for a few days. We can iron out the details pool side."

"Thank you Emmett. I don't know what I would have done if you were not a passenger."

"You would have had to settle for Edward. I'm obviously the better catch." He laughed.

"I'll take your word for it until I meet him myself." Grace replied with a wicked grin.

"Beautiful, sarcastic, intelligent, sassy, playful, sexy and not in to games; you are my dream come true Grace Hale."

Grace blushed and took a long sip of her coffee until she finished the cup. She placed the cup on the small table near the window and turned around to face him. Grace placed her right hand on his left thigh and looked him straight in the eye. "Em, you know how they say you should never judge a book by it's cover? Well I judged you last night and dismissed you as pleasing eye candy. I was more interested in your brother. He was closer to my type of guy. I've always dated the intelligent, slightly awkward, good looking, lanky guy. Edward is by far the best looking version of my type. I'm glad fate threw us together again because she reminded me that I loved your eyes, your adorable dimples and your booming laughter that made me smile. Fate provided me the opportunity to go against type for the first time in my life."

"Dismissed me as a dumb jock I assume."

"No more a general muscle man who lived for sports."

"Dare I ask what you think of me now?"

"Emmett you are intelligent, kind, funny, honest, playful, hotter than hell, an amazing kisser and you have a heart of gold."

"Thank you, but I must confess that I was judging you last night too. On the surface you were exactly my type: blond hair, magnificent boobs, long legs and cute ass. I got lost in a little fantasy that Edward snapped me out of."

"A little fantasy? What did this fantasy involve?"

"I don't recall."

"Emmett Cullen! You look adorable right now. You look exactly like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Can't recall my ass! Your hands were probably on it."

Grace POV

Emmett's entire face and neck turned a deep scarlet. I gave him a sexy grin and took his cup off his knee. I straddled him resting my hands on his shoulders. "Does this ring a bell? Oh wait I think I'm missing something." I moved his hands from his sides to my lower back and licked my lips. He was stunned for a couple of seconds then gave me the biggest grin, I got lost in his dimples for a few seconds. "Em kiss me."

Emmett gave me a soft smile, leaned in a tiny bit and sucked on my lower lip before pressing both lips against mine. The kiss was tender and continued until we both needed to take a breath. He left several light kisses along my neck and peppered my collarbone with kisses too. We spent two hours kissing then chatted some more about our families and work.

"Grace can I ask you an inappropriate question?"

"Sure."

"How often did you have sex with the douche?"

"Hmm I'd say four or five times a week, why?"

"I'm trying to figure out why he'd cheat on you. I'd never screw around on you Grace."

"I've known you less than twelve hours and I believe that you'd be faithful Em."

"Do you want to see my little cabin? The decor is a little different."

"I'd love too, just let me put my shoes back on."

We walked through the corridor to Emmett's carriage and his cabin. He opened the door and ushered me inside. His carriage was one of four built in France and decorated in a similar pattern by René Prou. Each car has elegant circles of stylized flowers in an ivory-like inlay set in a chequer-board design. As soon as my camera came out of my purse Emmett went towards the door. He told me that I'd have more room to take pictures but I wasn't having any of that.

"Mr. Cullen go sit that fine ass on the seat and let me take a picture of you."

I took several pictures of the cabin then a few of Emmett sitting down. There was a knock on the door and Emmett asked me to answer it. I found his steward Marc standing there with a smile on his face.

"Hello Miss Hale, I hope Harry is treating you properly."

"Harry has been a doll. Em did you call Marc?"

"Yes I did. Marc would you be so kind as to take a few pictures of Grace and I?"

"It would be my pleasure Mr. Cullen."

"Marc what did I say about that earlier?"

"Sorry Mr... I mean Emmett."

"Grace give Marc your camera please."

I handed my camera over and asked Marc to call me Grace. Emmett patted his lap and I sat down on it, wrapping one arm around his broad shoulders while I let my other arm hang at my side. He asked for my hand so I gave it to him and we posed for five pictures. I leaned over and kissed his cheek for the final picture. Marc handed my camera back to me and Emmett wrapped both arms around my waist so I wouldn't move.

"You stay put pretty lady. Thank you Marc, could you close the door behind you."

"Certainly. See you later."

"Em, I'm rather comfortable at the moment but you do realize that I can't stay on your lap indefinitely. I need to change for dinner and I thought we could go have a drink in the bar before hand."

"Indulge me Miss Hale with half an hour of kissing." He said before leaving a kiss on my shoulder. Forty minutes later the straps of my sundress and bra were both down my shoulder as Emmett's lips were wandering around and sampling the bit of cleavage my dress was showing.

"Em one last kiss and then I need to go get ready for dinner."

He shifted me in his arms and sucked on my lower lip until I let his tongue slip inside my mouth for a passionate tango that left me feeling like my spine had been replaced with jelly. I held on to him tightly and kissed him back until I was confident I would be capable of disengaging and standing up. Ever the gentleman Emmett walked me back to my cabin and left a soft kiss on my hand.

"What time will my lady be ready?"

"Give me an hour."

"See you in an hour then Beautiful."

"Thank you for a splendid afternoon Mr. Cullen."

"The pleasure was all mine Miss Hale." Emmett replied and gave me a full dimple smile before heading down the corridor.

Emmett Cullen was turning me in to a pile of goo. His playfulness combined with his kindness and those damn dimples were quickly turning me in to a giddy schoolgirl. A giddy schoolgirl who wanted to jump him and never let go. His kisses made me feel like I was defying gravity and when his hands finally found their way to my ass I wanted to skip dinner and devour him instead. Given the last week, sex should be the last thing on my mind but put Emmett in front of me and sex seemed like the most natural thing on earth. The kicker was that it wouldn't just be mindless sex, I cared about Emmett and for the first time in my life I felt myself falling hard and fast. Forget a solo honeymoon, I wanted a honeymoon with Emmett.

I packed three formal gowns, several cocktail dresses and spring dresses with sweaters and wraps if the temperature dropped at night. I brought a pair of jeans and some camies but on a daily basis I preferred skirts and dresses to pants. Rose was always telling me my skirts needed to be shorter to make my legs look longer but there was short then there was her version of short. Rose had very long legs and short skirts looked fine on her. On me they looked like I was heading to a street corner. My three gowns were very different but the lavender one seemed to be the most fitting for dinning on the Orient Express. The dress was silk with a layer of chiffon over it. It featured wispy capped sleeves and a plunging neckline that ended just below my breastbone. The back also plunged until the zipper met it. I realized that I couldn't zip up the last inch or so. I was sure Emmett wouldn't mind zipping it up for me. My hair went up in a high ponytail then I wrapped a thin section of hair around it to hide the elastic. I applied some makeup and a light plum lip-gloss. Delicate amethyst earrings completed my look. I had just made it to the lavatory for my carriage and back when there was a knock on the door.

I opened the door and was taken aback at how amazing Emmett looked in a three-piece black suit with a white shirt and black tie. His eyes swept my entire body and stopped at my breasts. I laughed and lifted his head up to meet my eyes.

"I'm up here Emmett. You look very handsome."

"Umm thanks, you look breathtaking. I don't think I want to share this vision with the other men on board."

"Cute Em, would you help a girl out?" I turned around and pointed to my zipper.

Emmett took his time, his fingers brushing my back as he slowly pulled the zipper up and continued grazing my spine right up to my hairline. He left the softest kiss on my neck and I sighed in contentment.

"We could skip the cocktail Grace and spend the time here..."

"Don't tempt me Mr. Cullen. The bar car is part of the entire legendary experience."

"We could go for an after dinner drink instead."

"Emmett!"

"I'm serious Grace, tell me you don't want to spend the next forty minutes letting me worship your body. You look like a Goddess, let me treat you like one."

"Emmett we may never make dinner if I let you change my mind."

"Grace what if I promise to stop wondering if you are wearing a bra."

"I'm not wearing a bra Emmett."

"I know. What if I promise to leave your dress on and not mess up your hair?"

"How about I let you kiss me senseless for ten minutes then we go for that drink."

"You are a tough negotiator but I'll take what I can get."

Twenty minutes later I had wiped off all my lipstick from Emmett's face and neck and reapplied it. I seriously would have loved to stay in my cabin with Emmett but I know I would have regretted not fully experiencing all the Orient Express has to offer.


	4. Dance With Me

Thanks again to my wonderful pre-readers Annie, Scilla and Debb. I think I caught all the typos this time. Enjoy!

Emmett escorted Grace down the corridors his arm protectively around her back, his hand resting on her hip as they made their way down to the Bar Car. The Bar Car started as a dining car built in France in 1931. Gerard Gallet created its present appearance for the Orient-Express in the Art Noveau style. Mellow lighting created a romantic mood. The excellent service ensured that all the passengers needs are catered to at every moment. The cocktail stewards and resident pianist guarantee that the Bar Car is the place to be until the wee hours. Grace spotted three empty burgundy velvet low chairs and whispered to Emmett that she'd go secure them if he'd get her a drink. He had no idea what she wanted and he planned on buying a bottle of champagne for their dinner so he left the decision to the bartender who thought she'd enjoy vodka infused lemonade. Emmett wanted a beer but he asked for a screwdriver instead.

"This is very tasty Em, great choice. I keep meaning to ask you if you have any pictures of your family on you cell. I'll show you mine, if you'll show me yours." Grace practically purred. She opened her purse, pulled out her Android phone tapping the gallery until she found the pictures she was looking for. This is Rose, she's not very attractive." Grace stated with a grin.

Emmett looked at the picture and felt his jaw slacking. The tall golden blond with a killer body was poured in to a tight short black dress that showcased her cleavage and long legs. "Not attractive? I hate to break this to you Grace but your sister is hotter than hell."

"I know and I appreciate your honest reaction. I'm sure you don't really care but let me show you Jasper." Grace pulled up a picture of her sitting in her brother's lap, her arms around his neck and their heads resting against each other.

"He's attractive too, I think Alice would like him a lot. He's tall."

"Yes, he's 6"3."

"Alice would come up to his waist." Emmett teased.

"I've seen Edward, now show me Alice."

Emmett pulled his iPhone out of his jacket pocket and played around with it for a few minutes before handing the phone over to Grace. It was a picture of her working in her studio carefully bending a molten rod of green glass in to a bracelet. Grace advanced to the next picture and it showed Emmett bent over resting his chin on the top of her head. Alice had a huge smile on her face. "She's very cute, sort of reminds me of a brunette version of Tinker Bell."

"Well she certainly is a feisty little pixie." Emmett commented.

"You might like to complain about her but it's obvious that you'd kill for her."

"I'd die for her too." He replied simply.

"Jasper would do that for Rose and I too. I think it's fantastic when siblings are so close. They drive us insane but there is an unbreakable bond between us."

"Rose and Jasper must be involved with other people right?"

"No they are both single. Why?"

"We can set Rose up with Edward and Jasper with Alice. That way we can have more time to spend together. It might make sneaking off to the Cinque Terre easier too."

"Mr. Cullen are you trying to tell me that you want to monopolize as much of my time as possible?"

"Yes Miss Hale, I don't really want to share you with your siblings or mine." Emmett replied then finished his screwdriver.

"You will have to share me but don't worry I want you all to myself as well, especially at night. How about I promise that after dinner every night it will be just us."

"I like the sound of that. Do you want another drink?"

"Yes please."

Emmett had just made it to the bar when he was tapped on the shoulder. He turned around to find the train manager smiling at him. "Mr. Cullen, you are here with Miss Hale correct?"

"Yes I am just refreshing our drinks."

"Pierre, Mr. Cullen's drinks are on the house for the rest of the evening. Do you mind if I join you. I missed Miss Hale in her cabin."

"Sure, I know she wanted to talk to you about the train. Can I get you a drink?"

"A water will be fine."

Emmett decided to try the vodka lemonade and ordered water for Louis. They made their way back over to Grace who stood up when she saw them both heading her way. "Monsieur Saint George, so nice too see you. I hope you are joining us."

"Yes, Mr. Cullen has been most gracious as to allow me interrupt your cocktail hour."

Grace started asking questions about the train and reached out to hold Emmett's hand so he'd know she had not forgotten about him. He smiled at her and started looking around the car at the other passengers. Emmett came to the conclusion that Grace was by far the most beautiful woman on board. He was paying attention to the conversation and turned his attention back to it with a big grin on his face. Grace had just asked Louis how they managed to get a grand piano on to the train. "I know the answer to that one." Emmett replied. "The legs were taken off the piano and she was brought in on her side then reassembled."

"You are correct Mr. Cullen, did you read that somewhere?"

"No, I'm an architect so I'm use to looking at all the angles and joining the puzzle pieces together."

"Impressive Em." Grace stated giving his hand a squeeze.

Louis talked to them for another ten minutes before he figured they could really use some alone time. He wished them a good evening and let Grace know that if she had any more questions he'd make some time for her before they arrived in Venice. He singled one of the stewards and sent him to get them both a vodka lemonade refill. When the steward showed up Emmett thanked him and gave him a tip. "To the most beautiful woman on board." Emmett said softly as he held his glass up. "To the most charming and handsome man in my direct sight line." Grace teased. Emmett immediately pouted and gave her his sad puppy dog eyes; he even added a low whimper. She knew he was only teasing her but she couldn't help giving in to him. Grace put her glass down and cradled his head in her hands. "You know I'm only kidding Em. I only have eyes for you." She followed her declaration with a soft kiss that grew more passionate once Emmett kissed her back. They finally came up for air gasping and grinning like fools.

"No Em we can't skip dinner."

"I didn't say a word."

"I know, but if I'm thinking about it I'm sure you must be too."

Emmett waggled his eyebrows, "Great minds think alike."

"You have no idea how glad I am that I met you."

"I do know Grace because I feel the same way."

"I love this song. It even sounds great on the piano."

"Dance with me Grace."

"No one else is dancing Em."

"So what? You like this song so we shall dance to it." Emmett stood up and reached for her hand. Grace got up and ignored the formal waltz position Emmett was holding and pressed her body right against his. Emmett adjusted his hold and started softly singing the lyrics to The Way You Look Tonight into her ear.

Grace melted in his arms as his pleasant voice made her swoon. She was no longer falling for Emmett Cullen; she was in love with him. The song changed but Emmett kept her in his arms and they danced on until the steward came up to them and tapped Emmett on the shoulder.

"Second seating for dinner starts in fifteen minutes Mr. Cullen and Miss Hale."

"Oh thank you very much." Grace answered and reluctantly left Emmett's arms.

As they headed down the corridor to Grace's beloved Dining Car 4141 more commonly known as the 'Côte d'Azur' or Lalique car she stopped and pressed him against the wood paneling "Em, we can order something later why don't we head back to my cabin?"

"Grace you have no idea how much I'd like to take you back to your cabin and get that dress off you. However, I don't think I could live with myself in the morning knowing I wasn't strong enough to resist you for your own good. I want you to have your entire dream experience. Let's go have a romantic dinner on this exceptional train."

"Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good."

"Quoting from The Sound of Music, Miss Hale?" Emmett chuckled.

"It just sort of popped in to my mind. How do you know the lyrics?"

"It's one of Alice's all time favourite movies. We'd go down to the basement with a huge bowl of popcorn and drinks. Alice would sit on my lap and hold the popcorn bowl. We'd sing along with Julie and Christopher."

"That's so sweet Em, Alice must see you as her ultimate big teddy bear."

"Sometimes. I can be pretty ornery and the little pixie can sure swear up a storm at me when I won't do what she wants. She calls me Bear and enjoys poking at me just to get a reaction. She's a little pest."

"She may be a pest but your eyes are sparkling as you talk about her."

"If my eyes are sparkling it's because of my present company not my sister. Give me your seating card." Emmett moved over to her left side and wrapped his right arm around her as a steward opened the dinning car door.

He handed over the two cards and they were led half way down the car to a table for two. Right behind them sat a table for four and then one of the smaller Lalique panels. The faintly blue opaque glass frieze featured 3 panels of grapes at the top and then three classical figures underneath: two nude females with a nude male in the center playing some type of horn. The table of four had not been seated yet so Grace pulled out her camera and took a few pictures. Emmett pulled one of the chairs away, had her stand right next to the frieze and took a picture.

"Your body is hotter than theirs." Emmett remarked and Grace blushed. She quickly moved and Emmett put the chair back in place. They went back to their table; Emmett pulled the plush blue velvet seat out for Grace before tucking her in. Grace took a look at the table setting and took a picture before raising her camera to take a picture of him.

"Grace, that's the second time you've caught me unaware. Take pictures of the train not me."

"Emmett you are far prettier than the crystal and silverware, more interesting too."

Emmett gave her a pointed look then looked down at the white linen table cloth, the four crystal goblets, the fourteen silver pieces of cutlery, the blue and white china bread plates, the four white linen napkins, the silver ice bucket, the slim crystal vase that held four red roses and the gold lamp with a red fringed shade. He looked up and noticed the tulip shaped light fixtures on top of the rich mahogany paneling that ran the length of the car above and below the large windows. The midnight blue curtains were tied back with a gold tasseled loop. There was a mirror positioned at the end of the car, which made it look much larger.

"Grace, I know what order to use the seven pieces of cutlery but why on earth do we have two napkins?"

"One for dinner, one for dessert?" Grace guessed.

"Good evening Miss Hale, Mr. Cullen. My name is Marco and I'll be your waiter tonight. Would you like me to bring the champagne you ordered now Mr. Cullen?"

"Yes please."

"I'll be back momentarily." Marco picked up the ice bucket and walked away from them.

"You ordered champagne in advance? Em you are going over and above to make this special for me. Thank you."

"You are welcome Beautiful. Quite the International crew, English and French Stewards, Italian waiters..."

"I was just thinking the same thing."

Marco returned with the ice bucket that was now holding a bottle of Taittinger champagne. He popped the top and poured a small sample that he presented to Emmett who handed it to Grace. She took a sip and let the bubbles flow all over her tongue. "It's perfect." She declared and held out her glass for a refill. After Marco filled both glasses he slid the bottle in to the silver ice bucket and presented the menu to them.

_Le Diner_

_Cold lobster in its shell with a filling of avocado and horse-radish_

_relish ice plant leaves with an oil seasoning_

_Thin strips of roasted duck supreme and sautéed foie gras with rosemary_

_Stewed red beetroot and dried figs_

_Crushed green apple and candied apricot_

_Potato and pine kernel purée_

_Choice of fine cheeses_

_Passion fruit and coconut iced meringue and tipsy pineapple salad_

_Colombian coffee_

"Everything sounds wonderful except for dessert, I hate coconut Em."

"That can easily be changed." Emmett caught Marco's eye and mouthed his name.

"Yes Mr. Cullen what can I do for you?"

"Marco, I'm afraid Miss Hale is allergic to coconut and I don't really like it. Could we switch to the bitter chocolate and banana dessert instead? I know it's a la carte so I'd be happy to pay for the substitution."

"That will be no problem Mr. Cullen."

"See coconut all gone and replaced with chocolate." Emmett stated with a smirk.

"You're my hero Mr. Cullen!" She exclaimed and then started giggling.

The sound of her giggling warmed Emmett's heart and he found himself wishing he could hear it every day. He wanted to wake up with her naked in his arms, kiss her awake and hear that delightful giggle for the rest of his life. With a sudden clarity that surprised him Emmett knew that he was sitting across from his future wife and mother of his three children. "Grace how do you feel about children?"

"I want them. I actually stopped taking my birth control pills three months ago. I stupidly was going to tell James we didn't need condoms anymore. What about you?"

"I stopped taking the pill four months ago and..." Emmett joked which made Grace giggle again.

"Be serious for a second my adorable Em."

"I love kids, I'd like to have three of the little rugrats."

"I'd like three of them too."

"Then I guess we better start practicing soon."

"Emmett Cullen!"

"Oops I said that out loud didn't I?"

Grace started laughing, "Yes you did you horny little devil."

"It's all your fault, looking so hot in that dress, not wearing a bra and your nipples are standing at attention."

"It's a tiny bit chilly in here."

"If I get this huge grin on my face and seem to be zoned out, don't worry I'm just in another one of my little fantasies staring you."

"Fine but you have to share it with me. How can I make them come true if you don't tell me about them?"

"Grace you are better than crack, I'm already addicted to you. Do you realize that you will never get rid of me now?"

"What makes you think I'd ever want to get rid of you Em? I'm rather fond of your company."

Emmett topped up their glasses of champagne and rose his glass for another toast, "To more than a beautiful friendship."

Grace suddenly thought of a quote from another movie she loved but wondered if using it would reveal too much too soon. She thought about it as she swallowed a forkful of potato and pine kernel puree. Grace decided that she really wasn't going to play any games with Emmett. She picked up her glass and smiled softly at him, "To a beautiful life together."

Emmett's jaw dropped for a second and he could see a flash of pain in her eyes. He took a sip of champagne and brought his glass to her's that was still in mid air. "That toast needs a minor adjustment: to a very long, beautiful life together." He stated with a huge dimpled grin. He noticed that her entire face seemed to flood with relief before she gave him a stunning smile in return. "Grace, before I responded to you there was a look in your eyes. I think you are a little more vulnerable than you think you are. Eight days ago you went through emotional hell and you've seemingly recovered at an alarming rate. I do not doubt that you have real feelings for me because I have them for you. I know I'm not just some rebound guy..."

"You are definitely not a rebound Em. My feelings for you are stronger and deeper than they ever were for James. I'm starting to realize that I never really loved him at all. I think I settled because he was steady and the sex was good. We dated for three years before he asked me to marry him. I said yes because I figured that was what you did after dating for that long. If I really loved him I'd be in the fetal position or even worse I would have married him anyway."

"So tell me what do you feel?"

"Until I met you it was rage, betrayal and feeling stupid for not seeing what was right in front of my eyes. I hadn't even asked you what you did for a living when I felt the rage and betrayal disappear. I chucked James in to the garbage right then. Now I guess I still feel a little stupid. When you dropped your jaw at my toast I was scared that you didn't care for me as much as I cared for you. So there might be a tiny bit of fear or maybe insecurity is the better descriptor."

"Insecurity I can deal with. I'll just have to hold you, kiss you and tell you how beautiful you are at a greater frequency."

"That sounds like good therapy to me. Emmett have you ever been in love before?"

"In grade six I wanted to marry Susie Smyth. I'd carry her books; we'd hold hands and steal kisses behind the gym. Then a foreign exchange student from Switzerland showed up and she dumped me like a hot potato. I've blocked his name from my memory but I moped around for a good month afterwards. After that I became a serial dater. I brought a different girl to almost every activity during high school. In college I'd last maybe a month and get tired of the girl. I hung on to a few a little longer because the sex was so good. I discovered friends with benefits and I've gone with it since senior year of college. So to answer your question until yesterday I've never been in love."

"You weren't in love with me yesterday, you were in lust with me."

"Guilty as charged but the more time I spend with you the harder I'm falling."

"No pressure but just so you know I've landed already. I love you Em."

"Just so you know I had another little fantasy earlier. It was a lifetime of waking up with you naked in my arms, kissing you awake and hearing you giggle. I love you too Grace."

"Our families are going to think we are insane. Jasper will see it right away but Rose, well she'll put you through the wringer."

"Alice will know right away too. Edward will be trying to tell me it is just lust. He might even warn you that I'm emotionally stunted. He should talk; all he ever does is work. He'd never go out if it wasn't for Angela dragging him."

"How does she manage to drag him out? I can see how you can but she was such a slim little woman."

"She works a little bit like Alice. She claims she needs a night out and preys on the dangers of the city. She tells him she'd feel safe coming back home with him."

"Smart girl, too bad they are just friends. Hey does Edward have a friends with benefits deal?"

"I think so with a girl he works with. He'll never admit it to me, unless he's in to thongs and a red wrap dress."

Grace started giggling again and Emmett leaned over the table to give her a soft kiss. They slowly sipped their Colombian coffee and got Marco to take a couple of pictures of them before they headed back to the bar car. Emmett convinced her that they needed a nightcap and a few more dances. A little after two in the morning Emmett escorted a slightly buzzed Grace back to her cabin. They enjoyed a long sensuous kiss before he unzipped her dress for her, kissed the back of her neck and told her he'd see her after breakfast.

Emmett was still awake at three- thirty and took his iPad out to play Angry Birds. He had no idea that Grace was still awake and decided to seek his company again. Neither of them was prepared for Emmett to open his door.


	5. 112 Pens

Thanks again to Annie, Debb and Scilla for the preread. Still no beta so blame me for any mistakes. Hope you enjoy Grace and Emmett's remaining hours on the Orient Express. Next stop: Venice.

Grace looked at her watch as soon as the door clicked close behind her; it was 2:15. She turned, locked the door and let her dress drop to the floor leaving her in nothing but panties and her heels. Grace wondered if the cabin was warm or if it was all the alcohol she drank that evening. She looked at her made bed and took her camera out of her purse to take a picture. The crisp white linen was embroidered with a peachy VS-OE on the pillow and the covers. She put her camera away, opened her suitcase and looked at all her sleepwear options. Grace decided that even though she'd be alone, her setting demanded something extraordinary and the black lace slip would be perfect. She kicked her shoes off, changed, washed her makeup off, dried her face on the soft towel and climbed in to bed. Ten minutes later she realized a trip to the bathroom might be a good idea. She put on her short silk robe, heels, grabbed the key and was out the door. Once she returned and made herself comfortable in bed she said her prayers waiting for sleep to claim her. An hour later she was still wide-awake wondering if the excitement of the day had kept Emmett up as well. She called for Harry and quickly tossed on her robe when he knocked five minutes later.

"Hi Grace, what can I do for you?" A tired Harry asked.

"If I don't answer after a few knocks at breakfast time could you bring my breakfast to Mr. Cullen's cabin? Marc is his steward."

"Certainly, I could bring you a cup of warm milk if you'd like to try that first. You look far too alert for the hour."

"I'm sorry if I woke you up Harry but you are correct. I feel like jumping around, I'm still so excited. Milk would not help the situation, I need a two by four to the head."

Harry laughed; he'd miss Grace when she left. "Sorry fresh out of lumber. Mr. Cullen is a lucky man."

"Yes he is Harry. See you at nine either here or there. Night and thank you."

"You are welcome and good night."

Grace closed her door, slipped on her heels and grabbed her key. She made her way down the corridor and entered Emmett's carriage. She rapped on his door three times and waited hoping he was still awake.

Emmett had just killed three obnoxious pigs with one bird when he heard a knock on his door. He put his iPad down on the bed and got up. He opened the door and felt his heart drop when he saw Grace standing there in a short green silk robe and her heels. He slowly checked her out wondering what was beneath the robe.

Grace was not prepared for the sight that greeted her. The door opened and her eyes landed on the most impressive six-pack she'd ever seen. She looked up and almost couldn't believe how developed his biceps, triceps, deltoids and pectoral muscles were. Her eyes moved downward and she gasped at the pronounced V going down in to the pair of blue scrub bottoms he was wearing low on his hips. "Holy cow Emmett." She muttered as she looked down his legs to his bare feet then back up to his face.

Her muttered words snapped him out of the trance he was in, "Grace come in." He took her hands and gently propelled her in to the room before closing and locking the cabin door. He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Can I see what is underneath that robe?"

"Umm hmm." Grace replied but didn't move.

Emmett released her hands and gently pulled on the sash of her robe. The robe opened, he saw black lace and pushed the robe off her shoulders. His sharp intake of breath made Grace smile. He started at her shoulders that were bare except for two incredibly thin straps that were attached to a scalloped edged black lace slip that showed off plenty of cleavage. He looked down and discovered just how short the slip was. The bottom edge was also scalloped and barely qualified as decent. "Grace you are by far the sexiest woman I've ever seen. I think I'm in heart failure right now."

"I think I'm already dead." Grace countered with as she tentatively reached her hand out and ran it across his abs. Emmett smiled at her and she ran her hands up his arms feeling the muscles. She took a step forward kissing her way across his collarbone while her fingers tapped out a tune on his muscular back. His hands went straight to her ass, pushing her against him as he fondled her.

"Are you wearing underwear Miss Hale?" Emmett asked because he could not feel anything.

"Nope, I never wear underwear to bed unless Rose or Jasper happen to be over. What about you?"

"I have boxer briefs on. Couldn't sleep?"

"No, were you reading? I had a feeling you'd be up too."

"Playing Angry Birds but I much rather play with you."

"That could be fun, what do you have in mind?"

"What I really want to do will have to wait for the hotel. Just not enough room to make love to you here."

"There's room if I'm on top." Grace announced as she pushed the straps off her shoulder and shimmed them.

"You are trying to kill me Grace. It might surprise you to know that I don't put out on the first date."

"You just said you wanted to make love to me! I'd hardly call this our first date either."

"Really, how many dates do you think we've been on?"

Grace gave him a sexy grin and moved over to the bed patting the spot beside her. Emmett got back in bed with his back against the wall and dropped one leg to the floor. Grace got up and kneeled between his legs and kissed him. "Seeing each other in the pub doesn't count. Our first date was the cafe and exploring the British Pullmans together. Our second date was lunch, third date making out on the coach, fourth date was talking and kissing in my cabin, fifth date was this evening and this is our sixth date."

"OK if we were not in such a confined space I'd so be putting out but you deserve a honeymoon night you'll never forget. I barely fit in this bed and I move around a lot during sex. Let me play with your breasts, we'll both enjoy it and we'll save epic love making for tonight."

"Epic? I guess I can wait for epic." Grace sighed as she pulled the straps off her arms and pulled the slip down to free her breasts.

"God they are even better than I imagined." Emmett groaned as he ran a finger over a taught nipple. Grace moaned as he flicked his tongue over it and by the time he was finished with her breasts an hour later Grace was worried about the stain she'd leave on the exquisite bedding if she opened her knees.

"Em, I'm so wet I'm afraid to move, can you get around me to get me a washcloth and towel?"

"No need for that beautiful, I'll take care of you. We can't have sex proper but I think you should get to have a few orgasms on your dream train." Emmett replied as he pulled up on the slip leaving it all banded at her stomach. He reached around her, sliding his hands over her bare ass and leaned in to kiss her pulse point. "You knew I couldn't resist that awesome ass of yours. Now let me lean you back and put your knees on my shoulders. He was surprised just how flexible she was and silently thanked James for being such a douche bag wanker. Grace was bare and glistening, he kissed her inner thigh before starting to lick her clean. Her head began to move from side to side as his tongue plunged her folds and she bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from screaming in ecstasy. Emmett looked up at her and gave her a full smile, "Baby, stop abusing your gorgeous lips and scream my name. I don't care if you wake the entire train up."

Before Grace could respond Emmett went straight to her clit. She screamed out his name among other things as a powerful orgasm hit her and Emmett continued to pleasure her even after she begged him to stop. "One more beautiful, I know you have it in you, then you'll be able to sleep." Grace lay on the bed; a huge grin on her face as Emmett played this little piggy with her toes. She chuckled when his fingers climbed up to her knee but didn't have the energy to move.

"Em that was the most intense and amazing oral I've ever been gifted with. I'd like to show off my oral skills but you've left me spineless and I like being on my knees when I do it."

"I don't mind you on your knees I just don't want you on the floor. Can I wiggle you out of that slip? Then you get to be on top. I'll hold you in my arms and you can use me as your bed."

"See Em, I told you I like making your fantasies come true. You got to play with the girls and fondle my ass and you'll wake up with me naked in your arms. I'm sure you can get me giggling in the morning to complete it."

"Grace Hale if I wasn't already in love with you I certainly would be right now. Geez this lace is tight." He commented as he worked it down from her stomach to her ankles. "Grace you really are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Emmett said reverently as he left a tender kiss on her stomach.

"Thank you Emmett, can I cuddle up to you now?"

"Think you can stand up long enough for me to get settled?"

"I think I can last that long."

Grace watched him get settled on his back and noticed that child like quality she first saw in the pub. She turned off the little light and carefully made her way to the bed getting in slowly so she'd avoid kicking him. She settled, pulled the covers up and sighed in contentment when Emmett started stroking her hair. Grace was asleep in a matter of minutes but Emmett didn't think he'd be able to sleep. He continued stroking her hair and found himself yawning twenty minutes later. He was in dreamland in thirty minutes.

Nine in the morning arrived entirely too early for the couple. Emmett tickled her and made her giggle but she refused to get up so he could answer the door. Grace kept mumbling too sleepy for food. He wrapped her in the sheet and moved her off him on to the bed and got up to answer the door.

"Hi Marc, you must be Harry. Sorry it took me so long to come to the door but my overgrown teddy bear didn't want to move.

"Come back to bed Em!"

"Good morning Grace, I have your breakfast here."

"Harry?"

"Yes Sleeping Beauty, Harry is here with your breakfast as per your request."

Grace pulled the sheet up a little more and groaned, "I should have asked for breakfast at noon."

Harry laughed, "I wasn't the one with all the energy this morning when sane people were sleeping. Do you want me to bring it back to the kitchen?"

"No Harry, she'll eat it. You can wheel her cart in."

Once both carts were in Marc closed the door and Emmett moved them so he could sit on the bed, which took a few minutes since Grace didn't want to sit up. He made his coffee and put it under her nose knowing that the aroma would do the trick. Three sips in he was sitting on the bed digging in to his eggs, ham, pancakes and fruit. Grace rubbed at her eyes, which dropped the sheet. She spotted her robe and got up to get it giving Emmett a ten second glance at her naked body before she wrapped the silk around her and went back to sit beside him.

"New rule, you should be naked for breakfast too."

"In your dreams Cullen. Breakfast looks great, I love Parma ham."

"A little taste of Italy to wake us up. Do you want to have high tea in here or in the dinning car?"

"Dinning car, it will be more romantic."

"Good that's what I told Marc and Harry. Don't worry I'll let you sleep in until noon tomorrow."

"How about we spend all day in bed? We can talk and make love and talk some more and..."

"Make love some more. I insist we surface for dinner, as much as I like you naked I also love you all dressed up."

"Isn't Edward coming in tomorrow night?" Grace asked as she took a forkful of ham and eggs.

"It will be after dinner, he arrives around ten. I think."

"Will he mind having the room to himself? I want you with me until Jasper and Rose arrive."

"I'm not leaving your bed Beautiful," Emmett replied before eating half a pancake in one bite. "I'll pay for them to have another room."

"I'll split the cost with you." Grace mumbled as she stole the last piece of ham off his plate.

"Hey! I was going to eat that."

"Snooze you lose." She laughed.

"Grace, stealing food from a hungry Emmett is never a good idea. I wasn't kidding yesterday, I'm always hungry and I'm very territorial about my food. You're lucky I didn't growl at you."

"Is that why Alice calls you Bear? I bet she steals your French fries all the time."

"It might have something to do with it. I don't mind with French fries or basically anything I have a great deal of but taking my last piece of anything without asking, it goes way beyond my biggest pet peeve; it pisses me off. Alice knows this and she still does it."

"So are you mad at me?"

"No, you didn't know but now that you do I'm sure it won't be a problem between us."

"I'll honestly try to not do it again but I should warn you I'm a grazer."

"Forewarned is forearmed. I noticed you ate all your grapefruit, do you want mine?"

"Yes please."

After breakfast was finished and the carts had been taken away Emmett leaned back against the wall and cuddled Grace in his arms. They watched the scenery passing by out the window and wondered what country they were in. After a while Grace stopped answering him and he knew she had fallen back asleep. He let her sleep until noon then gently woke her up.

"Sorry I dozed off on you. I swear it wasn't the conversation that was boring me."

"I know but seeing as it is noon I suggest you go back to your cabin and get dressed. I'll meet you there in half an hour. I think Marc is waiting to convert this cabin back."

Grace turned in his arms and engaged him in a long kiss before she got up, grabbed her slip and put her heels back on. Knowing that Grace was going to walk down the corridor almost naked put a big grin on Emmett's face and he was glad he was still in his non-constricting PJ's. He kissed her once more at the door before letting her go. He opened the washbasin and cleaned his face before shaving and then got dressed. He called for Marc and let him know that the bed could be turned back in to a lounge seat. Emmett asked about the upper berth and Marc showed him how it came down. Marc asked how long he had been dating Grace and couldn't believe his ears when he was told 2 days.

"It wasn't love at first sight, it was love by dinner time yesterday. I knew I was going to marry her and have three children with her."

"Wow a true romance on board. I wish you both all the best in the world you deserve it."

"Thanks Marc, we'll be back on board for our honeymoon. Technically, this was suppose to be Grace's honeymoon; she left him at the altar."

"Do you believe in fate Emmett?"

"I do now, I actually saw her in a pub Saturday night and wanted to meet her but she left before I could. I was instantly drawn to her. She was drawn to my brother. He was supposed to be on this train but work kept him away so he gave me the ticket. We met in the cafe at Victoria Station. If that's not fate I don't know what is."

"That's definitely fate, you are lucky Grace seems to be a very good person and she's gorgeous."

"Yes she's beautiful inside and out."

"I'm sure you are due to meet her so I won't take up anymore of your time. See you later."

"See you later Marc and thanks for all your help"

"My pleasure."

Emmett was a few minutes late when he knocked on Grace's door. He didn't get an answer and tried the door, which was locked. He wondered if she had decided to go to the bar car when he heard her call his name. Grace was wearing a sleeveless, emerald green, linen A line dress that fell an inch above her knee with her black heels.

"Hi handsome, I had to use the washroom. Do you want to go to the bar car? I wanted to check out the gift shop and see what I could get for Rose and Jasper."

"Maybe I should get Edward something which means I'll have to get something for Alice."

"Do you hate shopping like most guys Em?"

"I don't hate it but I don't exactly love it either. I like shopping for food."

Grace laughed, "Why doesn't that surprise me? Do you cook Em?"

"I'm OK in the kitchen. I can follow a recipe but I don't like baking anything other than boxed brownie mix. What about you?"

"I'm a very good chef, I follow my instincts more than a recipe and I love baking. I must admit though that my brownies always come from a mix. It's just so much easier. My wedding cake was actually chocolate brownies with chocolate frosting covered by butter cream icing."

"Oh my God, that sounds perfectly sinful."

"It was. I ate the entire top layer myself."

"Is there any left for my first visit to Boston?"

"Yes there is."

"Is there any room for my drafting table?"

"In my closet room, Emmett..."

"You didn't think that I'd make you move to Chicago did you? I'll be moving to Boston as soon as I can. That is if you'll take me in."

"Take you in? Em, you are not a stray animal. You are the man I love and of course I'd be thrilled to turn my house in to our house. We might even want to start looking for something bigger for our three kids. I'm concerned about your career though."

"I'm a partner in Abbot, Cullen and Eaton. I can simply work out of your closet and drum up business in Boston."

"You're the C in ACE Architectural Designs?"

"Yes, you've heard of us?"

"I did the landscaping for the town homes your company designed on the edge of Cambridge."

"My design, see we already work beautifully together."

"Do you believe in fate and destiny Emmett?"

"Yes I do, we were meant to find each other Grace. We're soul mates."

"Think it would be too much to get married in Italy?"

"My mother would murder me. I seriously think she's given up on her children ever marrying."

"We could tell them to get their butts on a plane... and your Dad probably would not be able to just take off."

"Yeah his vacations are scheduled months in advance. What do you think of a Christmas wedding? It's my favourite time of year."

"Mine too, I guess I can wait three months to become Mrs. Cullen."

"You have to give me a chance to propose to you. You'll know it's coming but not how or when." Emmett replied with an idea for the where, when and the ring in his mind. "I'll call you Mrs. Cullen if you want."

"No I can wait but if someone assumes we are Mr. and Mrs. Cullen we don't need to correct them."

"Are we going to stand here in the corridor or are we going to look at gifts then hit the bar?"

"Kiss me and then we can go."

Emmett happily indulged his unofficial fiancée with a long tender kiss before escorting her to the train's gift shop. The second Grace laid eyes upon a Marquetry Enamel Box she knew she had Rose's gift. The enamel box was hand crafted in England and the lid was hand decorated with the Marquetry VSOE logo design, inspired by the Marquetry panels on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. The box was made from copper, which was then coated and decorated in enamel before being fired at an extremely high temperature. The edges of the circular box were linked train carriages. She moved over to the jewelry collection and found a pair of circular sterling silver

earrings featuring stunning pink tourmaline cabochon with the words Orient-Express engraved on them.

"Find anything you like?" Emmett asked casually.

"These earrings, I love them they are subtle yet unique."

Emmett looked at them and grinned, "I'll take two pairs of those earrings and one of those blue logo silk ties." The tie was made of fine woven silk and hand finished to exacting standards. He knew Edward would wear it because the VSOE letters were so small they looked like horizontal lines.

"Two earring sets Em, your mom and Alice?"

"Make that three sets of earrings." He amended.

"Three?" Grace asked.

"One is for you Beautiful, to remember our trip."

"Em, that is so sweet but you do realize that you are the ultimate treasure from the Orient Express."

"Aww, that's the greatest compliment I've ever been given, however you can't wear me when I'm in Chicago."

"True, you have to pick something out for me to buy you."

"That's easy I want this key chain." Emmett brought her over to the case and pointed out a fun, novelty key ring in the shape and livery of an Orient-Express Steward. "I'll name him Marc Harry."

Grace laughed and asked for two key chains to be added to her enamel box. "I'll name mine Harry Louis and use him for my office keys. That leaves your Dad, Jasper and both my parents."

Carlisle and Richard would both receive a heavy quality 100% cotton pique polo shirt featuring the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express scroll logo embroidered on the right with additional styling features, such as horn buttons and embroidered back neck tape. Emmett selected navy for his dad while Grace went with forest green for Richard. It took her twenty minutes to settle on a Limoges oval box for her mother. The oval box was made from the finest porcelain in France, and was glazed in the traditional Sévres colour, blue. The top of the box featured both the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express scroll logo and a simple printed Venice Simplon-Orient-Express underneath in gold with a golden gilt metal hinge. Grace was getting frustrated looking for something for Jasper until Emmett pointed out a VSOE train stationary desk compendium set that was a replica of a dinning car and included pencils and note paper. Emmett was finished purchasing all his items.

Grace's were being run up when she noticed a novelty pen fashioned in the shape of a Venice Simplon-Orient-Express steward. "How many of those steward pens do you have in stock?" She asked. They were a very popular choice so the clerk knew exactly where the boxes were stored. "I have four boxes with fifty per box and the loose ones in the basket." Grace grinned, "I'll take two boxes and a dozen loose ones please."

Emmett looked at her as if she had grown three heads, "Grace, they are six pounds each. You want to spend six hundred pounds, actually six hundred and seventy-two pounds on novelty pens?"

"Yes I do, I have plans for those pens." Grace answered and handed the clerk her platinum American Express Card.

"I'm going to marry a pen obsessed crazy woman." He muttered.

"I heard that." Grace quipped before turning around and giving him a punch in the arm.

"Anger management issues too." Emmett laughed.

"You are so bloody lucky I love you Em."

"You'd think I was insane if I bought a hundred plus key chains."

"No, I'd figure you had a plan for them."

"Care to share your crazy plan for one hundred and twelve pens?"

"You mock me then expect I'm going to share my scathingly brilliant idea with you? You are the crazy one my love."

"Scathingly brilliant? That's from another of Alice's favourite movies about two trouble making catholic school girls. I never remember the name of it but it was St. Francis Academy and one of the characters was Marvel Ann."

"I may dump you for Alice once I meet her." Grace giggled.

"What's the name of the movie? It has something to do with Trouble."

"The first movie was called The Trouble With Angels and they made a sequel called Where Angels Go Trouble Follows."

"How could I forget that? I've seen them both forty or fifty times."

"Does Alice have a nun fetish? First Sound of Music now these two movies."

Emmett cracked up and his laughter could be heard two carriages away. Grace tried not to laugh but she ended up laughing and managed to take two pictures of him before he calmed down. The clerk thought they were both insane and was happy to see them leave.

After returning to their cabins to put everything away they finally made it to the bar. Grace ordered an orange and pineapple juice with a twist of lime while Emmett ordered a beer. They talked about work and Emmett convinced her that he really didn't mind leaving Chicago as long as she was willing to fly up for a weekend every so often. Grace thought it was adorable how he thought about his mom missing him on Sunday nights for dinner. They had a second round of drinks then headed to the Lalique dinning car for a light lunch.

Once lunch was over the couple went back to Grace's cabin and started a game of I Spy. Grace was still trying to figure out what was blue. Emmett's eyes were her first guess and he laughed at her, telling her that he was never that obvious. She was getting frustrated with him and was about to give up when she noticed two of her Steward pens sitting on the table.

"My pens." She declared with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Took you long enough."

"You're very competitive Em and I have little patience for games."

"I've noticed but I didn't think it applied to actual games. I am competitive, you should see Edward and I go at it and Alice can be a little beast in her quest to win."

"I think we should stick to kissing rather than continuing this game."

"How about I go get us some chocolate? I think I have two bars left."

"Now that is a scathingly brilliant idea."

Emmett chuckled, gave her a kiss and opened the cabin door. "I'll be right back Beautiful."

He was gone for less than five minutes and opened the door, "I actually have four bars left. Oh hi Louis, how kind of you to join us again. Would you like some chocolate? I can go back to my cabin..."

"Thank you for the offer Mr. Cullen but I'll be sampling all of the tea desserts soon."

"Em, I asked Louis where we could find excellent chocolate in Venice and he recommended a place called Viziovirtù. He wrote down the address for us and the directions from the train station or St. Marks Square."

"Mr. Cullen, I suggest you wander the alleys and small squares in the area around the chocolate shop. It is rich in culture and art. As an architect you'll appreciate that every corner is decorated in typical Venetian style."

"Thank you Louis and please call me Emmett."

The three of them talked about the train and life in general until Harry knocked on the door to remind Grace that it was tea time. "Has Harry been treating your properly Mis...Grace?"

"Harry has been simply wonderful, he deserves a raise."

Harry blushed while Louis chuckled and Emmett patted him on the back. Grace rolled her eyes and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for everything Harry."

"It's been a pure pleasure Grace, I'm going to miss you."

"Oh before I forget Harry, I bought you a little gift." Grace went over to the table and picked up the steward pen and presented it to him. Harry laughed and gave Grace a hug. "I'll use it everyday and think of my favourite passenger."

"I bought one for you too Louis, I know you aren't a steward but..." Grace went over to the table and handed him the pen.

"Thank you Grace, that is very sweet and it would be my honour to use it. It's a perfect reminder of one of my favourite passengers. Now I suggest you go before you tea gets cold. I think I will be standing in front of your car when the train stops in Venice."

"Great, I'll see you then."

Emmett waited until Grace had finished her first scone before asking her a favour, "Beautiful do you think I could have one of your pens for Marc?"

"You mean one of my crazy purchase pens?" Grace teased.

"Yes, I can see why you might want the twelve but the other hundred? I still think you have a few screws loose." Emmett replied with a huge dimpled grin.

"I'm starting to see why you were still single Em."

"So am I, I was looking for a sane girl." He laughed.

Grace rolled her eyes, swiped the last chocolate and almond tart off the tray and took a large bite. "That was the price for one of my pens."

"You had to pick the chocolate one didn't you? I guess I can live without it."

After they finished tea they went back to Emmett's cabin and he packed everything up and brought his suitcase to Grace's cabin. While she packed Emmett took one of her pens and went back to his cabin and called Marc. He handed Marc the pen and a 300 US dollar tip. Marc thanked him then Emmett remembered something and asked him how he could contact him when the train was on winter hiatus. After he got the information he needed Emmett headed back to Grace's cabin. He met Harry, recorded his information and knocked on Grace's door.

She had a huge smile on her face and kissed Emmett passionately. "Should I leave again and come back? That was one hell of a kiss girl."

"Harry just dropped off a gift from Marc, Louis and him. The three of them signed it with the sweetest wishes for us." Grace showed him the book The Venice Simplon Orient- Express: World's Most Celebrated Train by Dr. S Sherwood. "It's all about the restoration of the carriages and the team of experts, who used traditional methods to give the carriages a true authentic identity."

"That was very kind of them. Did you tip Harry yet? I tipped Marc, apparently Louis can't accept a tip but you can write in to head office and tell them how wonderful he was."

"I think we both should write letters praising the three of them. No I haven't tipped Harry yet, I was going to do it as we left."

"I suggest you do it now. He'll be busy once the train stops."

"Call him for me."

Emmett went over to the call button and then excused himself, as he needed the washroom. Harry was right next door so he was there in a flash. "What can I do for you Grace?"

"I wanted to thank you again for being so kind to me. Here is a little token of my appreciation. Grace handed him two hundred pounds. Harry thanked her profusely and then posed for a picture with her that Emmett took once he returned.

"So we have two hours left on the train what do you want to do?" Emmett asked.

Grace kicked off her heels and grinned at him, "Hold me in your arms and let's watch the scenery go by."

That is exactly what they did throwing in several kisses until they pulled in to Venice's Santa Lucia train station.


	6. Black Tulle

**Thank you once again to my lovely prereaders Annie, Scilla and Debb. I now have an awesome beta so thank you to Midnight358 who gives great advice and betas very fast. Thanks for that lesson Scilla, I always screw that stuff up and second guess myself.**

**The link to look at the Palladio suite is in my profile (thanks again Debb) and the link to Agent Provocateur will be there shortly if it isn't already.** **Enjoy and let me know what you think.**

The train pulled in to Santa Lucia Station exactly on time at 5:45 p.m. Harry had told Grace to wait for his knock and he'd help her with her luggage. Fifteen minutes later there was a knock on her door and Harry was standing outside with Marc.

"Give one case to Harry and I'll take the other one Grace. Sorry Emmett, but you'll have to fend for yourself, she's prettier," Marc stated with a grin.

Grace giggled and kissed Emmett's cheek. "Good thing you are such a strong man, Sweetie."

"Stronger than these two put together," Emmett teased as he picked up his two pieces of luggage and followed behind Grace who was simply carrying her purse

Louis was standing at the carriage door and gave Grace his hand to help her down the stairs to the platform. Once she was safely on the ground he took the bag in Emmett's right hand so he could use the rail to make it safely down. A porter was waiting with Grace's third bag and had piled her other two suitcases on top of it. Emmett's luggage was added and the porter looked at Louis for direction.

"Gentleman, since the train does not head back until tomorrow morning how about joining us for dinner in my...sorry our private dinning room at the Cipriani?"

"Thank you for the offer Grace but I have plans for the evening. It's been a pleasure and I'll be watching the mail for a wedding invitation and then the date in March when you'll both be blessing us with your presence," Louis replied giving Grace a kiss on both cheeks and shaking Emmett's hand.

"I'd love to Grace but I've got a hot blond waiting for me who is going to get mighty sick of hearing about you." Harry said with a smile before Grace opened her arms for a hug and kissed him on both cheeks.

"Might want to remove her lipstick before she sees you dude," Emmett added as he bumped fists with Harry. "What about you Marc?"

"I have a date too, a blind date actually so wish me luck."

"She's a fool if she doesn't fall for you Marc."

"Thank you, Grace. Can I have a hug too?"

"Of course!" Grace hugged and kissed Marc then watched Emmett and him complete a six action handshake that made her laugh.

"Enjoy the rest of your vacation Grace and Emmett."

"Monsieur Saint George, where shall I take the couple's luggage to?"

"A private water taxi should be waiting to take them to the Palladio suite at the Hotel Cipriani."

Grace pulled out her camera and asked the porter if he'd take a picture of the five of them. After a few shots were taken, Grace took her camera back said good-bye once more and followed the porter. Emmett had his arm around her waist until she asked him to hold her hand. When she started swinging their hands he chuckled at her and planted a kiss on her knuckle.

"I think I'm going to start calling you the Energizer Bunny. You seriously may be the first person I've ever met who has more energy than Alice. Do you main line pixy stixs when I'm not looking?"

"Ha ha ha Em, very funny. You'll appreciate my energy tonight."

"You are going to wear me out, woman, I can see the writing on the wall."

"I promise you Em, you'll fall asleep on me with a smile on your face. I've got skills."

"I have no doubt that you have mad skills but I have skills too."

"Tonight will be epic then," Grace laughed.

"Just like I promised it would be. Do you want to have dinner in our suite tonight or the restaurant?

"Our suite, what I want to wear wouldn't meet the dress code."

"What do you want to wear?" Emmett inquired with a huge grin.

"Oh just a little number I ordered from Agent Provocateur."

Emmett stopped moving, growled and pulled Grace in to his body. "Baby, if you are trying to kill me you are succeeding. They are known for their indecent prices for indecent little pieces of nothing. I've never seen one in person, just on the web."

"I ordered most of my honeymoon wear from them. James always wanted me in super sexy lingerie and paid for most of it. I have quite the collection back in Boston."

"Yum, can't wait to make my first visit to your house. Chocolate brownies covered with butter cream and you doing a little fashion show for me."

"I'll go one better, I'll feed you a piece of the cake while wearing lingerie."

"If I live past our first anniversary it will be a miracle," Emmett teased.

"Don't say that, Em, I want you to make it to at least our sixtieth wedding anniversary."

"OK, I won't tease about dying anymore. We will have a very long and happy life together."

"Now I like the sound of that."

The porter finally stopped walking ceasing the couple's conversation. Once the teak boat was loaded with their luggage, Emmett tipped the porter and stepped down in to the boat. He reached up to take Grace's heels off then helped her down the few stairs before bending down to put her heels back on. Grace told him that he was her Prince Charming and rewarded him with a sweet kiss. Emmett wrapped his arms around her waist and peppered her shoulders with kisses as they watched, portions of Venice disappear. He would point out certain buildings to Grace or have her look at the waterline to show her that Venice really was sinking.

"Tell me about the architecture, Em."

"It would bore you to tears and once I start I can't stop."

"Then I want you to make me a promise."

"You know I'll give you anything you want."

"Except your last bite of food." Grace laughed, "Seriously, I want you to spend one entire day showing me the architectural gems of Venice. Don't show me the Rialto Bridge if there is something tucked away in a quiet corner that you think is a masterpiece."

"Are you sure Grace? I'll skip over most of the must sees on a typical tour list."

"I'm sure and you can always show me the tourist spots another time."

"I'd love to show you my Venice. It includes St. Mark's Square and of course Basilica di San Marco so you may have to put up with crowds and a line or two to see inside."

"I can think of a few ways we can make the time fly as we stand in line," Grace responded with a sexy smirk.

Emmett chuckled and kissed the side of her neck once more watching the sun slowly beginning to set as the boat slowed down and turned in to a lagoon. He turned Grace around and pointed out the domes of the Basilica to her and they exchanged several kisses until the boat's engine stopped and docked. A porter was there immediately and Emmett helped him out by handing him each piece of luggage.

"Welcome to the Hotel Cipriani and the Palladio suite Miss Hale and Mr. R..."

"Mr. Cullen," Grace interjected quickly. "Please call us Grace and Emmett."

"Very well Grace and Emmett, I'm Giorgio and I'll be your concierge for the duration of your stay. I'm on duty from seven in the morning until eleven in the evening. I'll escort you in to the suite and we can register you at the dinning room table. We got a cable from the Orient Express on Sunday advising us that the pool view junior suite booked for E. Cullen was not necessary for tonight only. I'm still a little confused."

"My brother Edward was supposed to arrive today but he had to change his plans. He'll be arriving late tomorrow night. We will require a room for Grace's brother and sister starting Saturday the twenty-second."

"We can sort that all out once we get in your suite, if you'll follow me through your private garden."

"Our own private garden, sounds very romantic, Grace," Emmett commented as he took her hand in his and kissed it.

"As guests staying in the Palladio suite you have standing reservations in all our restaurants. You will find all the menus in your room and before I leave I can advise the restaurant of your choice what time you'd like to dine."

"Thank you Giorgio but for tonight we are looking at room service," Grace stated.

The couple stopped for a few moments to look at the large terrace with an outdoor heated long plunge pool and a heated Jacuzzi whirlpool, shaded by fragrant jasmine bushes. The lights had just flickered on and Emmett grinned at Grace. He whispered that they could go for a late night skinny dip. Grace smiled at him and whispered maybe back. They entered the suite, quickly registered then looked at the various menus placing an order with Giorgio to be delivered at eight.

The suite was like nothing Grace or Emmett had ever seen: it was a glass capsule, suspended mid-air above the lagoon. One of the unique features of the suite was a 180 degree view over the Venetian lagoon through floor to ceiling windows. The airy living room offered access to a private little balcony overlooking the lagoon. The elegant dining area allowed guests to host small dinner parties served by a personal butler. The master bedroom was elegantly decorated in muted beiges, blush peach, champagne hues, touches of gold and browns. The suite enjoyed panoramic views across the lagoon. Emmett laid down on the bed that featured a pale canopy over an intricate headboard and several pillows. He was lying at an angle to keep his shoes off the luxurious bed spread. Grace smiled at him, kicked off her heels and removed his shoes placing them on the floor at the foot of the bed. She ran her thumb up the sole of his foot and he sighed.

"Do you like foot massages, Em?"

"I've never had one before but that felt great."

Grace pulled off his socks, dropped them to the floor and began to run her thumb in small yet firm circles from his heel all the way up to his toes. Emmett moaned in bliss, closing his eyes to concentrate on the feeling but it was so soothing that he was asleep before she started on his other foot. She smiled to herself and worked on his left foot. Grace watched his chest gently rise and fall for twenty minutes until she decided she needed a picture of him.

Grace took the picture of Emmett then turned her attention to the rest of the suite documenting every inch of it. She went out on the terrace and inhaled the sweet smell of jasmine and felt transported. She no longer felt like she was in a hotel garden but in the Garden of Eden minus the sinful apple tree. The plunge pool and Jacuzzi were completely sheltered and the warm jets of the Jacuzzi started to whisper her name. In less than a minute her dress and expensive bra and panty set sat on the lounge chair while the jets tickled her nipples and massaged the tension she didn't even know she was holding in her lower back away. She leaned her head back but refused to close her eyes because she knew she'd fall asleep. After about half an hour she climbed out and let as much water as she could drip off her body. Grace left her clothes on the lounge chair and made her way back in to the suite being careful not to slip on the marble floor.

The suite contained two beautifully appointed and fully equipped marbled bathrooms: one looking out onto the garden terrace, the other a magnificent master bathroom that featured panoramic windows, that by day would provide stunning views across the Lagoon. Both bathrooms were stocked with luxury amenities. Grace enjoyed a leisurely shower and dried off with the fluffiest and deepest pile bath sheet she'd ever used. I'm stealing one of those she thought to herself as she dried off and walked in to the bedroom.

Emmett was still fast asleep allowing Grace to change for dinner. She wrapped her green silk robe around her body and made sure the sash was secured. She didn't want Emmett to see what she was wearing until she called him to dinner. She woke him up with a tender kiss twenty minutes before dinner was due to arrive. "I just took a shower, Em, why don't you take one then change in to something comfortable. Dinner will be here in twenty."

"Do you want me in my scrubs again or blue and white stripped flannel?"

"Blue and white with a white T. Your bare chest will be too distracting for me."

"Like whatever is under that robe won't distract me?" Emmett said with a grin.

"Oh you'll be distracted but the smell of food will do you in. I'm hungry. I don't usually eat this late."

Emmett took a fast shower and towel dried his hair. He found a blue T before he found a white one so he put that on with his soft fleece pajama bottoms. He heard a knock at the door and the sounds of plates being put on the table. He knew they had butler service but hoped Grace would dismiss him. He knew she'd be wearing something like the tiny black lace slip again and he didn't want the butler ogling his girl. Grace had the silver domes off the hors d'oeuvres and saw the butler out, telling him that they would call when they were ready for dessert. She put her black heels on and took off her robe, leaving it on the top of one of the dinning room chairs.

She licked her lips and held out the edges of the babydoll top as though she was curtseying. "Oh Em, dinner is ready."

Emmett tripped over his own feet when he saw her standing there. He didn't think it was possible to beat a naked Grace but this little outfit had him hard and lightheaded. He was left speechless as his eyes raked over her body. She was wearing a black babydoll in sheer, lightweight tulle with multi coloured embroidery featuring pretty flower and leaf designs. A black taffeta bow with a delicate flower motif adorned the centre front. She paired it with a matching sheer thong in the same lightweight tulle and embroidery features. Grace turned around slowly so he could see the back of the thong and her ass that he loved so much. He was mesmerized by how amazing her breasts looked, her nipples pink and hard; her breasts so perfectly round and firm except for the slightest natural slope.

"Cat got your tongue Emmett?"

"Fuck, I've never seen anything as fucking erotic as you right now. Can I take your picture?"

"My picture?"

"Yes, so I can look at you when we are apart. I want it on my cell phone."

"OK because I trust that you will not be sending it all over the place. Where do you want me?"

"Just where you are is fine with me, lick your lips and smile."

Grace posed for him then turned around so he could get a shot of her rear. "Do you want me to bend over?" she asked with a playful grin.

"Yes please," Emmett groaned.

Grace walked over to the table and leaned over it flattening her arms and pushing her buttocks up to give him the ultimate view. "How about I sit on the table and you can come closer to take a picture of my breasts?"

Emmett nodded his head and took a shot of her face to her stomach then took a picture of just the breasts that he loved so much. "Grace, I simply can't find the words to describe how erotic you are. You are better than every playmate and pet that has ever been photographed. I think you can see how much my body desires you."

"Yes you've got quite the tent in your pants right now. How about I take care of you then we can eat." Grace took his phone out of his hand and placed it on the table. She instructed him to hold on to the edge and pulled his fleece PJ's down. "No underwear Em?"

"No, I figured we'd go from dinner to bed."

"I think I want you to take me on this table first," Grace purred before running her tongue up and down his length. She kissed his tip then let her teeth drag across him as she took him fully in to her mouth and began sucking and letting her tongue dance all around him. She played with his balls massaging them with one hand causing Emmett to grip the table even harder. He wanted to hold on to her hair but he knew his knees would give out on him. Grace began to hum while he was in her mouth and the vibrations sent him over the edge.

"Grace I'm going to..."

Before he could finish his sentence he exploded in her mouth and Grace swallowed every drop milking him for more until she was sure he was spent. She withdrew her mouth slowly and licked her lips before giving him a huge smile. "Umm you taste so good Em. Now let's eat dinner before it gets cold." She pulled his fleece pants back up as she stood and left a quick kiss on his lips. Damn she wasn't kidding about her oral skills, he thought and made his way over to sit beside her at the table.

They decided to strategically order so they could share everything except the main course as they both wanted the roasted fillet of sea bass with lemon and fennel. For hors d'oeuvres they ordered fried soft-shelled crabs on creamy white polenta and fried, marinated sole with raisins, pine nuts, sweet onion in a white wine sauce and grilled croûtons of polenta. The soup and pasta course saw Grace ordering artichoke and potato soup, served with Asiago cheese, au gratin while Emmett went with flat spaghetti with clams, wedge shells, mussels and cherry tomato. For dessert Grace ordered lemon gelato and Emmett ordered chocolate cherry.

Dinner took them a little over an hour as they fed each other, kissed and talked over the four-course meal. They went out on the terrace to enjoy the gelato.

"Your clothes are out here. Naughty girl, you went skinny dipping without me."

"I didn't want to wake you up; you looked so adorable sprawled out on the bed. Damn this gelato is good."

"How come you didn't order the chocolate?"

"I'm very fond of citrus fruit. I figured the zing and fresh taste would best complement our meal. If I were just ordering dessert I would have gone for chocolate. Can I taste yours?"

"Of course, here you go." Emmett gave her the crystal bowl and she handed hers over to him. "Very tangy and good but I still prefer my chocolate cherry."

"Umm this is very good more like ice cream texture wise. Mine is more like sorbet. I noticed blood red orange on the list. I want that for breakfast. Do you like dark chocolate covered cherries, blueberries and pomegranates?"

"You mean the Brookside ones that I buy at Costco and eat like chips until I feel sick to my stomach?"

"Yes those, I didn't realize Costco sold them. I get Jelly Bellys from them."

"I love Jelly Bellys, any type of gummy candy, M & M's, chocolate obviously, Nerds, Fireballs I have a drawer in my kitchen that is just full of candy."

"Here I thought I had a sweet tooth. So do you want to skinny dip in the Jacuzzi? I don't want to get my hair wet. We can try the pool tomorrow."

"That would require you to take off that babydoll and I'm not ready for that."

"I bought the matching bra too; I'll wear it with the second thong tomorrow. Well I'm finished my dessert, time for bed." Grace gave him a very suggestive smirk and pulled off her thong. She placed it on top of her other clothes and brought them back inside.

Emmett watched her walk inside with the biggest grin on his face. Grace doesn't fight fair, he thought and decided turnabout was fair play. He stripped his clothes off, folded them in his typical fashion and strutted in to the hotel room. He found Grace sitting on the edge of the dinning room table, her legs spread with the sexiest come hither look he'd ever seen. She overtly ogled him, licking her lips until he stepped between her legs, captured her bottom lip in a searing kiss and slid his hands under the babydoll to play with her nipples. She moaned in to his mouth and he kissed her harder. His large hands massaged her breasts while he continued kissing her. Grace wrapped her arms around his neck pressing her breasts against him momentarily trapping his hands. Emmett adjusted and squeezed each nipple hard between his fingers as he left a trail of hot kisses on her neck.

"Grace..."

"Fuck me now, Em, we can make love later."

"I need to go get a condom."

"I always made scum bag wear one, I'm clean."

"So am I ."

"Em, I'm fine with having a baby six months after our wedding date. Are you?"

Emmett answered by plunging right in to her and pulling almost out before plunging in again. Grace reclined on the table and held on to one edge as he lifted her ass to penetrate her deeper. She cried out his name, a series of expletives, harder and faster. Emmett asked her to play with her breasts so she did on the outside of the babydoll because the tulle created a greater sensation. Grace screamed that she loved him as the tight coil in her stomach sprung unleashing the strongest orgasms she ever had. Emmett could feel her muscles tightening around him and he continued to penetrate her until he felt his own release coming. He put one leg over his shoulder and found he could get inside even deeper. Grace screamed in ecstasy as he hit her in the perfect spot every single time. She came hard and moments later she felt him fill her with his own come.

"Stay in me Em, I love how this feels. I love you."

"Damn you have stamina, girl. I love you too, Gorgeous." He turned his head and planted a kiss on her calf before picking up her other leg and putting it on his shoulder. He tilted her pelvis upward as much as he could while still staying inside her. "Just giving my guys a little leg up." Emmett said with an adorable dimpled grin. "When was your last period? Are we just practicing or is there a real possibility that you are ovulating?"

"A very real possibility, I have a thirty day cycle and today ovulation should have started. Do I think we'll actually get pregnant the first try? No, but we are certainly going to have fun trying."

"So now will you let me make love to you?"

"Yes, we can take a quick shower together and then head to bed."

"I hate that you are going to take that brilliant babydoll off."

"Em, I'll put it back on as soon as I dry off."

"Will you stay in it all day tomorrow until it's time for dinner?"

"I never thought black tulle and pink embroidered flowers would drive you so crazy. I do have other sheer babydolls."

"Don't care, they can't possibly out do this one."

"My silly Em, how about I let you take it off me and then you can put it back on."

Emmett carried her in to the marble master bathroom and gently put her down on the floor. He couldn't resist tweaking her nipples through the tulle and the mewl like sound she made only encouraged him to continue. By the look on her face he knew he'd be able to make her come again. He gave her a wicked grin and continued until his mission was accomplished. After a quick shower he dried her off, put her babydoll back on and carried her to bed. He kissed her passionately before putting his head under the babydoll and covering her entire body with kisses. As he kissed her inner thighs Grace trembled in anticipation of where his lips would end up but he turned her over instead and covered her back with kisses. She giggled as he started to knead her ass and laughed when he took a mock bite out of one cheek. Emmett rolled her over and looked at her, "Are you laughing at my technique?"

"If I say no will you get inside me?"

"No, I think you've noticed that my lips haven't touched your breasts or core. I'm not done with you yet, Miss Hale. Play with your breasts for me." Emmett watched her for a few minutes before he pressed his thumb against her clit and started making circles. Grace pressed herself against him needing more friction and Emmett responded by making the circles even lighter, which drove her mad with desire. He could tell when she was on the edge and entered her in one swift move gradually increasing his speed until her body shuddered and she screamed his name. He told her that he loved her as he continued until he had his own release.

They lay in each other's arms talking quietly until Emmett decided to ask her a question he was pretty sure he already had the answer to. "So Grace, what's with the no underwear to bed?"

"James convinced me it was sexier and made it easier for him to initiate sex anytime he wanted. He also liked to watch me pleasure myself before I got on top and rode him."

"So basically, this cheating bastard made you change what you did to make his life easier. I still can't wrap my head around how the prick would even want to cheat on you especially, when you gave him everything he wanted. What did you wear to bed before the pile of shit came along?"

"Oversized T shirts and my thong, flannel PJ's when it got really cold. I had a light blue pair with snowflakes on it that were just so soft and comfy."

"Do you still have them?"

"Yes, tucked away where James wouldn't find them and pitch them out."

"Well I can't wait to see you in them. You'll be my cuddly little snowflake. Grace it sounds like the wanker was controlling. I want you to know that I'll never be like that and you can wear anything you want period."

"As long as I wear this every so often right?"

"If you wouldn't mind. It's a request not a demand."

"How does once a week sound?"

"Perfect," Emmett replied as he tightened his arms around her. "Shall we attempt sleep?"

"I don't think sleep will be too hard for either of us. Good night, my sweet Prince."

"Good night, my Goddess."


	7. Chocolate Jacuzzi

**Thank you once again to my lovely prereaders Annie, Scilla and Debb. I now have an awesome beta so thank you to Midnight358 who gives great advice and betas very fast.**

Emmett woke up a little after ten and delicately moved his arms from underneath Grace's babydoll. She had woken him at four with a few skillful licks before mounting him and descending. He opened one eye and grinned at her.

"Close your eyes and let me do all the work."

"No can do, I want to watch you, Gorgeous."

Emmett still could not get over how sexually talented Grace was. Several girls had been on top but none of them ever came close to making him feel so good and come so hard. He had promised to let her sleep until noon so he took a quick shower, grabbed a towel and headed out to the lap pool. He felt strange doing laps in the nude but he didn't want to risk waking Grace up looking for his swimsuit. After the sixth lap, he forgot about it and concentrated on his swimming strokes. He lost count of the laps around eighty but figured he had done a little over one hundred once he finished. Emmett had been in the water for nearly an hour when he climbed out of the pool. He was thinking about the slight burn in his arms as he toweled off with his back to the lounge chairs.

Grace woke up around ten-forty and went searching for Emmett. When she spotted him in the pool she quietly sat down and watched him, admiring his muscles in action. She stopped herself from chuckling when he got out of the pool and didn't notice her. Grace figured he was in the zone and she'd have to take him out of it. As he was towel drying himself she pulled her babydoll top off and walked over to him wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her body against him.

"That's one fine ass you have there, Sexy."

Emmett grinned, "Well good morning to you too, Gorgeous. I can feel those pert nipples against my back."

"Feel good?"

"God, yes!"

Grace ran her hands down the side of his body and cupped his penis in her hands. "Em, would you be willing to fulfill a fantasy of mine?"

"I'd do anything for you, just ask and you shall receive."

"You know that full length mirror in the bathroom?"

"Yes."

"Would you take me from behind so I can watch myself?"

"Hale yes!" Emmett responded knowing that Grace would be playing with her nipples and clit while he pleasured her. The idea of seeing both of their faces turned him on.

Grace giggled at his use of her name and walked around him for a hug. Emmett wrapped her in his arms and kissed her passionately tugging on her lower lip and letting his tongue engage hers in a lengthy tango.

"Must have air," Grace murmured against his lips, which made him laugh.

"Baby, I love you. I've never met a woman so erotic, seductive and beguiling one moment and so entertaining the next."

"What can I say, Em? God broke the mold after me."

"He certainly did, Gorgeous. I could seriously use some food. I placed a special order this morning. How about I call for it and then we'll make your fantasy come true."

Emmett picked up the phone and twenty minutes later he answered the door. He had sent Grace to wait in the bedroom as she was still only wearing her tulle babydoll. He called Grace out and once she was seated pulled the silver dome off with a flourish. Grace saw four heavenly looking pieces of French toast with strawberries and her blood orange gelato. She took one bite of French toast and moaned her approval.

"Oh my God, Em this is sinful and it's not maple syrup."

"No, it's a syrup my mom makes. It's a Crown Royal reduction with some brown sugar. So simple to do that I make it for myself."

"Well you'll have to be making it for us from now on."

"Whatever, my lady wants she shall get."

"I hope you know that I'll never get tired of being spoiled by you. You've turned me in to a high maintenance woman, Emmett."

"It will be my great joy and pleasure to maintain you, Miss Hale."

After brunch, Emmett brought Grace in to the bathroom and fulfilled her fantasy until her knees went weak and he could no longer support her weight. They ended up on the floor sated and grinning like fools.

"How about a soak in the tub? I'll wash your hair, brush it for you once it's dried and slather on that apple scented body butter that makes me want to nibble on you all day long."

"Sound ideal to me. Think we could go out for an hour or so? I'm craving chocolate."

"You know we have a concierge that can send someone to get chocolate for us."

"True, but I rather pick out my own chocolate and you can pick out what I wear. I promise as soon as we get back I'll put the babydoll back on."

"As you wish," Emmett replied as he helped her up and removed her babydoll.

Grace actually dozed off for a few minutes as Emmett washed her as though she was a china doll. His scalp massage with the shampoo and conditioner made her regret wanting to search out chocolate. Spending the rest of the day getting her hair washed seemed like it would be nirvana. Emmett took his time drying her off with the fluffy towel and then applied Apple Illusion body butter to her entire body. Grace's skin was so soft and smelt so heavenly that all he really wanted to do was take her back to bed and ravish her. While she dried her hair, Emmett picked out the bra and thong set that matched the babydoll and a navy blue dress with a deep cowl front and twenty button back.

"Very nice choice, Em I always feel sexy in that dress but trust me, I have another bra that you'll like better."

Grace went in to the drawer she had put her underwear in and pulled out the proper bra. She asked Emmett to close his eyes and quickly got dressed. "Open those beautiful baby blues, Em."

"Holy cleavage, Batman!" a dazed Emmett replied as he salivated over the amount of cleavage on display. "We certainly can't stop off in any church with you wearing that."

"Chocolate store and straight back here. I plan on using those abs of yours as my chocolate plate."

"Give me five minutes to get dressed. Do you still have the directions from St. Marks?"

"Yes, they are in my purse. Em?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Grace."

Emmett quickly pulled on a pair of light beige Dockers and a deep blue dress shirt that he knew would set off his eyes and make Grace swoon. He came out and found her back facing him noticing that half the buttons on her dress were undone. He ran his crooked pointer finger up the space and planted a kiss on the back of her neck, "You seemed to have forgotten something, Love."

"I couldn't reach those buttons; would you mind?"

"No problem. Why do I have the feeling that your wedding dress is going to have a hundred buttons like this? It will take forever to get you out of it."

"There are only forty actually. I loved my wedding dress but when I decided revenge was best served in public I wore a sexy as hell Grecian style red dress to my non-wedding. Right dress, wrong guy, now I will have both."

"I love those blue heels but are you sure they are good on cobblestone?"

"What, you don't want to carry me if they pose a problem?" Grace laughed.

"I do thresholds, to a bed and on to a boat. I don't do city blocks," he chuckled back.

"Then I have a perfect reason to hold on to your arm. I'm also treating you to chocolate."

"I never say no to free chocolate. Shall we?"

Grace had called the concierge before they left and a boat was waiting for them at the Palladio private dock. Emmett had handed over the directions to the boat's captain who told them that it was actually a boat ride from Saint Mark's Square so he'd simply take them up the Grand Canal and stop at San Tomà. The boat waited as they turned left and found Viziovirtù immediately on their right. Grace walked in and wanted to buy the entire inventory. Emmett talked her down, reminding her that they didn't have chilled cases back in the hotel and how easy it was to get there. She agreed then spent almost $150 American. By the time they made it back to the private dock they had eaten several of them. Emmett had picked out a selection of ten chocolates to give to Alice, that Grace insisted on paying for.

"Unbutton me and I'll put the babydoll set back on," Grace purred in to his ear before nibbling on his lobe.

Emmett emitted a low groan, "Baby, that feels so good. Since we are both dressed why don't we walk through our private garden to the main hotel and have a drink. I'll buy you a Bellini."

"I like a good Bellini. It would be my pleasure to be escorted by such a handsome gentleman."

After a five-minute stroll they arrived on the main hotel property and made their way to the Gabbiano Bar that faced the spectacular pool and was quickly becoming the landmark of the Hotel Cipriani. Grace took out her camera and took a few pictures as Emmett rolled his eyes and gave the waiter their order. While she was busy looking around Emmett was kept busy glaring at all the men that were ogling and salivating over Grace's body.

"Em, what's wrong?"

"I forgot that while I sit here appreciating you, I've let you become eye candy for some extremely rude and obvious men."

"So let them look, Em, you're the one I love. You're the one I'm going to spend the rest of my life with and you're the one I'm going to ravish when we get back to our suite."

"You do realize that you used you're three times?"

"What are you the grammar police? I was trying to make a point and repetition is good for teaching young children," Grace answered with a wicked smirk.

"Do you want me to put you over my knee young lady?"

"Kinky Em, I didn't think you were in to that. So tell me what's the kinkiest thing you've ever done?"

"I'll answer if you will."

"Sure, now spill."

"I've had a few threesomes in my day, with two other girls."

"I have two so you'll have to tell me which one is kinkier in your mind. I lost a bet and had to do a number at a strip club. Stripped down to a G-string and was offered a permanent job, I said no obviously. The other was a foursome."

"Holy crap, Grace I never would have pictured you in a foursome. It explains a few things though," Emmett chuckled.

"Explains what Mr. Cullen?"

"Your amazing sexual prowess. Would you tell me about both of them?"

Grace was about to explain the stripping bet when the waiter appeared with their drinks. "How about I tell you when we get back to the privacy of our room." They lingered over drinks, talking about trivial things until both drinks were finished. Emmett paid the tab and looked over at Grace who had just sighed.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I've imagined having a Bellini at the Cipriani and while it was rather tasty it didn't live up to my expectations. I've had better in Boston."

"Sorry, Sweetie I guess it was a little too much to have all your expectations met. Can I kiss a smile back on to your face?"

"Yes you may."

"Now who is playing grammar police?" Emmett joked before kissing her tenderly and whispering that he loved her. "Do you think you can handle breakfast at nine tomorrow? I thought I'd have Edward meet us in the suite before we head off to Murano. Alice will be so distracted by you; she won't even notice Eddy is missing. Figured he could use a day to himself."

"I can do breakfast at nine if we have French toast again. I'll try the mango gelato this time."

As soon as they entered the gated garden Emmett started undoing the buttons on Grace's dress. He popped the last one as they turned the corner to the lap pool and Jacuzzi. "How about we try the Jacuzzi?" Emmett asked as he unbuttoned his shirt and took it off.

"I'll meet you in there. I'm going to grab us towels and some chocolate."

A few minutes later, Grace strutted naked out of the suite chocolates in one-hand towels in the other. She placed the towels on a lounge chair and climbed in to the Jacuzzi holding a box of chocolate aloft until she was in the water then they went on the top stair. She opened the box and brought a cinnamon dark chocolate up to his lips. Emmett ate half of it and she popped the rest in to her mouth. They moaned in bliss, looked at each other and burst out laughing.

They finished the box of chocolates as Grace explained her kinky exploits. Emmett was so engrossed in her story that he didn't think of caressing her body until after she was finished. The thought of her with another woman made him hard instantly but he was also relieved to find out the foursome was a one-day experiment that was never repeated. He wished she hadn't spent most of her sophomore year fooling around with a guy in her class and his roommate.

"Just so you know, I'm not going to ever share you."

"I know, Em you are a tad on the possessive side. Middle children don't share very well."

"That is very true. I use to get Eddy's hand me downs until I was too big for them. I had to keep my baseball and hockey cards hidden so Alice wouldn't get her grubby little hands on them. She seriously considered my room an extension of hers. I lost half of my closet when she turned thirteen."

"Your mom let her do that?"

"I never complained to her, in case you haven't figured it out, I have a very hard time saying no to my sister."

"Em, you are a very sweet, loving brother and I find it very attractive. Jasper calls me, Pumpkin and Rose, Thorn."

"Pumpkin is cute but something tells me Rose doesn't like her term of endearment."

"No but it suits her. She can be very prickly. What about Edward?"

"He prefers to be called Edward, he will tolerate Ed, hates Eddy and really hates Eddykins."

"Eddykins? Alice I presume."

"Yup."

"So other than Evil Pixie what do you call Alice?"

"Mostly Al or Ally, sometimes Short Stuff. What about Jasper?"

"Jasper or occasionally Jasp," Grace replied as she moved from beside him to in front of him.

Emmett and Grace spent an hour and a half in the Jacuzzi making out until they both felt like prunes. They dried off and went back to bed where Grace took her time ravishing Emmett's entire body with a variety of kisses. She then gave him a neck and shoulder massage.

"Your hands are so talented," he sighed happily as Grace began to massage his scalp.

"Thanks, I loved it when you washed and conditioned my hair. It felt heavenly."

"I think we do a very fine job of spoiling each other."

"I agree. How about we make love, have a little nap then start getting ready for dinner?"

"I love the way you think, Darling."

Grace woke up the next morning in Emmett's arms. Her midnight blue tulle babydoll was on the floor. Emmett loved how she looked in it but still preferred the black tulle because it was more revealing. He gave her a sensuous kiss then suggested they shower together. While Grace dried her hair, Emmett picked out an outfit for her. She smiled at his choice of a black lace bra and panty set to go with a navy lace skirt and a fitted navy silk blouse that showed a tad of cleavage. She had curled her hair and pinned it back with a crystal barrette.

"You look stunning, Grace."

"Thank you, you look great too, but I'm feeling a little over dressed."

Emmett was wearing his jeans with a white dress shirt. "You can put your jeans on if you want but I just figured you'd want to make an impression on Eddy and Alice."

"I guess it's a little late for you to make an impression on your brother and sister. They already know you are a goof ball."

"Ha ha ha, Grace," Emmett replied dryly. "Come over here and let me kiss you."

Grace stepped in to her 6 inch navy Jimmy Choo's and glided over to Emmett for a kiss. He engaged her in several kisses while they waited for Edward to arrive.


	8. Edward's Arrival

**Thank you once again to my lovely prereaders Annie and Debb. Thanks to my awesome Midnight358.**

Edward POV

I was able to catch an earlier flight and landed in Venice ten minutes before my original flight was due to leave London. My transfer to the Hotel had been arranged, and the concierge was quite pleasant and accommodating when I had to change my arrival time. I was pleased to see a driver waiting for me, E. Cullen on the placard he was holding. After identifying myself, we were on our way and half an hour later I was stepping off the water taxi at the Hotel Cipriani. The clerk at the registration desk checked me in and handed me a note. I recognized Emmett's scrawl and figured he was telling me to meet him at the bar. The clerk called the concierge over.

"Welcome to the Cipriani Mr. Cullen. Your brother is expecting you for breakfast at nine tomorrow morning. If you can be here in the lobby at 8:50 a concierge will meet you to walk you over to the Palladio Suite."

"What?"

"Your brother said he would leave you a letter..."

"I haven't looked at it yet."

"Ah well his letter should explain the change in accommodations. Would you like to be shown to your room?"

"No, I've stayed here before, I'll be fine. Good evening."

"Buonanotte, Mr. Cullen."

What the hell was Em up to, I wondered as I made my way to a pool view junior suite. The first thing I did was unpack. The suite was very spacious and offered a private garden and direct access to the Olympic sized swimming pool. It was elegantly furnished with a king bed instead of the twin beds that I originally requested. The bathroom featured a double vanity with a separate loo and walk in shower with a round bathtub. I plugged in my rechargeable razor and took out my toothbrush and paste for the morning. Once finished, I sat down on the comfortable couch and opened Emmett's letter.

Eddy,

I met my wife and mother of my three children on the train. So you better get ready to be Uncle Eddy. Well actually, I met her before boarding the train but it's a long story. I'm staying with Grace in the amazing Palladio suite. You have the room to yourself so you won't have to complain about me snoring.

The suite has a dinning room so I thought it would be nice for you to meet Grace at breakfast before I take her out to Murano to meet the Evil Pixie. Breakfast will be served at 9. You will have to be escorted over since the gardens are private that link the suite and the rest of the hotel. I love her Edward, so you better be on your best behaviour.

Em.

This was something new, Emmett had never claimed to be in love before but something told me that he was in love with her body and probably high on her skills in the bedroom to even be mentioning children. I felt sorry for the girl, since he'd break up with her the morning we were scheduled to leave. Leave it to Em to suggest I had to be on my best behaviour. I always was well behaved. He was the one with the dubious behaviour in our family. He was proud of his ability to belch the alphabet. The longest relationship he ever had lasted all of two months, I think. He was in to sex without commitment and had several fuck buddies back at home. I was half tempted to call our mother and read his letter just to give her a good laugh. I think she has finally given up on all her children ever settling down and giving her grand babies.

A drink seemed like a good idea so I headed out to the Gabbiano Bar. I was half expecting to see my brother at the bar but I guess this Grace was really superior in bed to keep him inside. Emmett was a big fan of bars, but a bigger fan of sex. A few years ago, I got back to my townhouse early and found a pretty blond riding Em. He had met her at the pub the day before and after a lunch date he brought her back for sex. I was really curious to meet this woman named Grace.

I groaned when my alarm went off at eight. I forced myself out of bed and checked my computer for e-mails. There was one from the CEO telling me that I was forbidden to e-mail or have any type of communication with work until my holidays were finished and I arrived back at the office. The e-mail made me chuckle because he knew me too well. I had planned on setting a couple of hours a day aside to work. After a quick shower, I changed in to my jeans and an olive dress shirt. I left the first three buttons undone and ran my hand through my hair in a futile attempt to reign it in. I've had bed head my entire life, my hair refuses to be tamed. Girls find it hot; they tell me I have sex hair, which I think is nuts but if it pleases members of the opposite sex who am I to question their taste?

The concierge from the Palladio suite was waiting for me in the main lobby. A middle age lady cornered him as we were walking away. She claimed to have one question, but ten minutes later he had to tell her he was a private concierge and she'd have to ask the hotel's concierge the rest of her questions. It was 9:09 when the concierge knocked on the hotel door. Emmett opened the door and the first thing I noticed was his dopey full smile and the traces of lipstick on the corner of his lips.

"Dude, how many times do I have to tell you that you do not suit lipstick?"

"Fuck off Bro. You were late so Grace and I entertained each other. Grace, Eddy has finally arrived."

My jaw dropped when a stunning blond in killer heels sauntered in to the room. She was dressed in a body hugging navy skirt and blouse. The blouse showed off a bit of cleavage and what I could see was very impressive. She seemed vaguely familiar but I couldn't place her.

I heard Em's deep chuckle just before he reset my jaw. "Dude, she's mine and you are about to drool."

An adorable giggle kept me from responding to my brother. A pair of blue/green eyes met mine and my heart stopped for a moment. A small smirk played on her lips as she gave me the once over. "It's a pleasure to finally met you, Edward. I'm Grace Hale." She stepped up to me and I raised my hand, which she clasped before leaving a peck on each of my cheeks.

"Hello Grace, it's nice to meet you. Emmett has told me very little about you."

"What did you tell him, Em?"

"That you were my future wife and mother of our three children. Oh I also told him that I

loved you."

"Hmm that pretty much sums up our relationship. I love your brother, Edward. Breakfast should be here any minute, why don't I give you the ten cent tour?"

Grace dropped her left hand and in less than two seconds my brother had his fingers entwined with hers as they took me on a tour of the luxury suite and the serene garden, lap pool and Jacuzzi. Em was a big lug of a guy, solid muscle but the most astonishing thing happened when he walked with Grace, he moved fluidly and well... gracefully. She zigged and he zagged, it was as if their bodies were completely aware of each other and moved as one. I took a good look at them and they both looked like a couple that was deeply in love. I just think they are a little crazy to be talking about marriage and kids.

We made our way back inside to discover that breakfast had been delivered. Emmett sat me at the head of the table and Grace and he sat on either side of me across the table from each other. As soon as I saw the French toast I knew, Em had introduced Grace to our mother's Crown Royal syrup. I looked at Grace as she took her first bite, the look on her face instantly triggered my memory. Grace looked familiar because I'd seen her less than a week ago. She was the girl from The Kings Head. Emmett's fantasy girl; the girl we were arguing about and who would get to invite her over before Angela and that pain in my arse showed up. Tanya was so dense. I don't know how many times I've flat out told her I'm not interested in her but she won't give up. Fuck! If I had taken my trip on the Orient Express it could have been me staying in this suite with Grace.

"You OK, Eddy?" Em asked with a smirk.

"Just putting a few puzzle pieces together and I'm really regretting not taking that trip on the Orient Express myself."

Emmett started laughing; "I told you that you were stupid for turning it down. Best gift you've ever given me."

"I should thank you for being crazy, Edward. I never would have met, Em if it wasn't for you." Grace stated with a smile.

"I recognize you from The Kings Head, Grace."

"We were wondering how long it would take you to clue in Bro. How did you make the connection?"

"The look on Grace's face when she ate her first piece of French toast and the little moan after. We couldn't hear your reaction but we certainly saw it from our booth."

"That brownie was so good I thought I was going to have an orgasm."

My brother snickered at me as I choked on a tiny bit of French toast and squirmed in my chair. "Totally my reaction when she said that to me on the train, dude."

"Men, you are such a predictable lot," Grace giggled.

"Were you flirting with us that night, Miss Hale?" Emmett asked with a huge gotcha grin.

"With my smiles back at you? Yes. This is just how I eat when I really enjoy something. Now if you ever catch me with a round cherry blow pop then you can rightfully accuse me of trying to get a rise out of you, Em."

"You are going to torture me for the rest of our lives aren't you, Gorgeous?"

"Yup," Grace responded popping the 'p'.

Grace had an evil little glint in her eyes that reminded me of Alice. My brother would never be bored as long as he was with her. I still didn't know very much about Grace but I believed she truly loved Em. I just had to figure out a way of getting them to see that they were talking about marriage and kids far too early. They had only been sharing a hotel room for barely two days. I had to make them see that there was a big difference between a relaxing romantic holiday and living together as husband and wife. I don't think they even live in the same city.

"In Emmett's note, he said that he didn't meet you on board. Where did you meet then?" I inquired.

"I went in to the cafe in Victoria Station for a coffee. While in line, I was looking for an empty table when I spotted a woman with dark blonde hair sitting alone at a table for two. I noticed the beige leather folder in her hand and grinned since I knew she was a fellow passenger. I was trying to get a better look at her when she lowered the folder and low and behold it was my fantasy girl from the pub."

Grace picked up the story, "I didn't notice, Em because I was daydreaming about the train. He asked if the chair was empty and I told him he could take it. I was surprised when the chair only moved enough for him to sit down. I looked up and saw a blue shirt and tie. My eyes went higher up and my jaw dropped, the muscular guy from the bar was sitting across from me. We exchanged names and I asked if he was traveling alone."

"I told her that I was and Grace asked to see if we were dinning in the same car. We weren't, so she asked if she could get it changed. Mom didn't raise us to be stupid, so I said yes right away. We've been inseparable since except for the odd half an hour here or there."

I wanted to know how much they knew about each other, "So Emmett tell me everything you know about Grace."

Emmett blew my mind with the information that he gave me about Grace. They had obviously played more than a few games of twenty questions as well as talked about her childhood and life in general. His ability to retain and recall that much information demonstrated to me just how serious he was about Grace. I started to ask Grace a question and she shot me a look that said don't expect me to jump through your hoops.

"Surely I don't have to tell you all about your own brother, Edward."

"No, of course not." I replied quickly.

"Eddy, she knows things you don't even know. Since Grace is going to totally steal the Pixie's attention, how are you going to spend your day of freedom? Actually, you can probably have the night off too. Ally will expect us to dine with her."

"Well I've been forbidden from communicating with work in any way, shape or form so I think I'll take my Kindle out to the pool and read for a few hours. I'll grab lunch then go for a walk. Then I'll have a drink and meet you all for dinner. I eat alone all the time so company is welcome. I'm sure Alice will want to go to her Trattoria Da Lele, I'll meet you there. Ask her to call my cell and give me a time."

"You can use the pool here Edward, it will be nice and quiet," Grace offered.

"Thank you for the kind offer, but I can access the main pool from my room. The pool bar offers both drinks and food. I won't have to move until after lunch and my room will be right there."

Grace was about to respond but the phone rang first and she went to get it. Both Em and I watched her retreating backside. "So what do you think of Grace?" Em asked.

"I like her a lot. It's very obvious to me that you are both in love but I think you are rushing things a bit. You just met and you are talking about kids and marriage. She lives in Boston, Em..."

"I'm moving as soon as I can and technically she lives in Cambridge. I already sent Craig and Tim an e-mail."

"You're quitting? Emmett that is stupid."

"I'm not quitting, I'm going to work from Cambridge and make trips back to Chicago when necessary. I can use my computer and draw plans anywhere."

"Em, are you ready? The boat is waiting for us." Grace called out before she rounded the corner carrying her purse. "Edward, I'm afraid we have to kick you out. Why don't you walk out with us and walk along the perimeter of the hotel back to the main lobby?"

Emmett headed in the direction Grace had just come from and came back with his navy sports coat and a tie. "I got this for you on the train, Ed." I looked at the blue silk tie with the tiny VSOE print and smiled, "Thanks Bro, I can wear it to work."

"That's why I picked it for you. Shit! I forgot Alice's gift, I'll be back in a second Grace."

Grace rolled her eyes, smiled at me and opened her purse. She dug around in it for a few seconds and produced a pen. "It's only a novelty pen but I thought it was cute."

I looked at the pen and chuckled. It was fashioned in the shape of a Venice Simplon-Orient-Express steward. "Thank you Grace, I can use this at work too."

"I have several so I'll send you home with a few. Your brother thought I was insane for buying them."

"Why? Other than the fact that he can be quite the idiot."

Emmett overheard our conversation and clucked his tongue, "Did she tell you how many pens she bought? Grace's definition of several is one hundred."

I looked at Grace like she had two heads, "Seriously?"

"Yes, I have a plan for them and I actually bought one hundred and twelve. I see you are lacking the same amount of imagination as Em."

"Well we are related," Emmett, laughed as he took Grace's hand and led us outside.

I walked them to the dock and stayed until the boat was out of sight before making my way back to the hotel proper. How does one slow down the course of true love?


	9. The Evil Pixie

Grace waved good-bye to Edward as Emmett wrapped his arms around her waist. She clasped her hands on top of his and he felt cool glass on his right hand. He looked down and brought her arm up to examine her bracelet more closely. He recognized the bracelet as one of those popular ones that you could add beads to at a cost of around sixty dollars a bead. Grace had two crystal beads, one was sapphire coloured the other turquoise, two silver beads: a pumpkin and teddy bear, the rest of the beads were Murano glass.

"Your bracelet is pretty, Alice will like it. She makes beads for one of those companies."

"I'm sure she didn't make these ones. I got them for five dollars each. The Millefiori ones are from a craft store; I got all of them for six dollars."

"What about the crystal ones? I bet the pumpkin was from Jasper."

"Rose got me the crystal ones for my birthday and Jasper did indeed get me the pumpkin one. The teddy bear is from James' mom. I like her a lot, Em, I still plan on seeing her when I get back to Cambridge."

"Did James buy you jewelry often?"

"No, the only thing he ever bought was my engagement ring. He bought me sexy lingerie for every occasion. My parents buy me jewelry sometimes and I buy it for myself most of the time."

"Well I hope you will accept jewelry from me. I want you to pick out one of Alice's creations and give it to me. I'll force her to let me pay for it. I'll warn you right now she'll give you several pieces and you can't refuse her or she'll get upset. If you succeed in getting her to sell you something she'll sell it at cost."

" I accepted earring from you remember? Alice sounds very generous."

"Yes, the Evil Pixie is nothing if not generous. She's going to love those crazy stilettos of yours."

"How tall is she again?"

"Four feet, ten inches. You'll find her in jeans and six-inch heels. Oh she's a huger too, once I introduce you she will fling herself at you and probably be bouncing up and down"

"Bouncing? I think I'm going to call her Tigger," Grace laughed as Emmett planted a kiss on her neck. It took a little over half an hour to reach the closest dock to Alice's studio and shop. Emmett insisted Grace removed her towering heels until she was safely off the boat and on the dock. She held on to his arm and she stepped back in to them. They walked in silence for five minutes before arriving at the door to Bel Bicchiere.

"Bel Bicchiere is what in English, Em?"

"Beautiful Glass, walk in and go to the front counter where the antique cash register is, you'll be able to see how Ali greets me from there."

Alice POV

I heard the glass chimes as the door opened but I was in the middle of finishing a piece. My brothers should be arriving soon and I wanted to get everything done for the day before they arrived. "Un momento per favore, one minute please," I shouted out. I finished the vase I was working on and put it down to cool off. I carefully put my equipment away and removed my gloves. I wiped my hands on my jeans and headed to the front of the store.

"Are you going to make me wait forever, Short Stuff?" I heard my favorite voice in the world and took off at a run. "Emmy Bear!" I screamed as I lept in to his out stretched arms. My brother gave me a huge hug and swung me around the room several times. I was just high enough to pepper his cheeks with exaggerated kisses. I was starting to get dizzy so I asked him to put me down. Being his typical self, he refused so I licked his cheek. That got him to stop on the spot. "That was gross Alice!" he exclaimed. "Well you wouldn't put me down you big oaf," I retorted.

My brother was beaming like I'd never seen him before. I was about to ask him why when I heard a delightful giggle. Emmett's smile grew bigger, his eyes lit up and I followed his gaze to a dark blond in heels that I'd kill for. She smiled at me and looked at Emmett. He put his arm around her shoulder giving me a few seconds to check her out. She was definitely Emmett's type of girl: beautiful, an amazing rack, great looking legs and I was sure she had a cute ass.

"Alice, I'd like you to meet my fiancée Grace Hale."

"Hi Grace...your what?" I screeched.

"My fiancée Ali, I've finally met the woman I want to marry and have three kids with," Emmett replied calmly.

"Hi Alice, I've heard a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you. I love, Em with all my heart."

I vaguely recall yelling "Oh My God," before opening my arms, half tackling Grace then jumping up and down with glee while my stupid brother laughed hard. I was so happy for the idiot, I never thought he'd find love and it was obvious just looking at them that they were both head over heels in love with each other.

"Heels! I love your shoes Grace! Who are you wearing?"

"Jimmy and I'm glad someone appreciates them. Your brother thinks they are weapons of mass destruction."

"I didn't say that, I just think you are going to break an ankle in them." Emmett countered.

"Speaking of lethal weapons how long has your brother been using his dimples to get what he wants?

I chuckled, "All his life, they get him out of trouble too. Mom was a sucker for them, she'd start yelling at him for some bonehead thing he'd done and he'd just smile at her and she would literally forget what she was yelling about. It drove Eddy insane. I was smart, I'd get Em to fight my battles for me."

"I still can't believe you commandeered most of his closet and got away with it. My brother would have chucked my clothes on to the lawn."

"I was pretty young when I realized that Emmett would do anything to make me happy and I worked him. I love Edward but Em and I have a very special bond. Edward would never play tea with me or provide voices for stuffed animal theatre but Em would. He wore a tiara for me, Edward just laughed and tried to take a picture."

Grace started to laugh, "You didn't tell me about the tiara, Em."

"You had to remember that story, Evil Pixie."

I hated it when Edward and Emmett called me Evil Pixie so I whacked, Em in the arm and stuck my tongue out at him. He told me I was mature so I hit him again. Grace just laughed and told us to go to neutral corners. My brother suggested that we should get some drinks and followed me up the stairs to my apartment. We left Grace to look at my work.

"You know I'm capable of bringing 3 glasses and a bottle of Pellegrino down the stairs myself. What are you up to Bear?" I asked when we were out of hearing range.

"I wanted to commission you to make Grace's engagement ring for me. I know exactly what I want and I insist you let me pay for the raw materials because I want white gold inside clear glass. You just need to get her ring size for me."

"What about tri gold for past, present and future?"

"She doesn't like yellow gold."

"Do you want me to make a wedding band too? I can use more white gold in the band to make it more solid looking."

"That's a great idea, Sis."

I pulled out a 1.5L bottle of San Pellegrino Aranciata from the fridge and Emmett grabbed 3 wine glasses from my cupboard after he made fun of my step stool. I shot him the evil eye and we went back downstairs. Grace had a collection of my work on the counter. I was happy to see that she had two of my candy collection pieces. It was a simple idea but it took me forever to make the multicolored jellybeans. Each bean was separate and I'd modeled them after Jelly Belly so some were speckled. I'd made fifty of each flavor and three quarter filled jars with them.

"These look good enough to eat Alice. I love the magnetic letters."

"Thanks, Grace those jelly beans took hours to make. The tourists love the letters too. They don't take me long. I dedicate one day a month and just make them using left over pieces of glass rods. Every letter is unique because I never know in advance what colors I'll have to use. I like your bracelet. I make pink Murano beads for Pandora, the 14K ones and the silver."

"Not a fan of yellow gold. Do you make pitchers and glasses?"

"When the mood strikes, why?"

"Other than jewelry, I was looking for a set for my office. I saw an amazing light Lalique set in Harrods."

"Mine will be heavier but I would be happy to make one for you. Any ideas for colors?"

"Well I'm a landscape designer so I was thinking of muted floral colors."

"Oh that would be so pretty. Em, don't just stand there holding an empty glass pour us some Pellegrino. I hope you like Aranciata."

"I love San Pellegrino orange and the lemon, actually it's Limonata isn't it? I buy cases of it for home and the office. Did you know that Nestlé owns them?"

"I remember hearing about that. While we look at my jewelry why don't you start explaining how you two met, brother dear. Grace what size is your ring finger?"

"I'm a eight, Em give Alice her gift."

"It's in your purse."

"So go get it. Nothing is going to bite you in there."

Em, handed me a black velvet bag and inside I found circular sterling silver earrings featuring stunning pink tourmaline cabochon with the words Orient-Express engraved on them. I thanked and hugged my brother, took out the chandelier earrings I was wearing and put them in. I was listening to Em as I tried rings on Grace's finger so I could judge what width would best suit her. Her fingers were long but also a little bit on the pudgy side, which meant she could wear a more substantial ring. I knew exactly what I wanted to create for her and I was sure she'd love it. My brother finished telling the story of how they met and I thought it was very sweet and wished I could find my soul mate.

"Alice aren't you going to flip out over how long we've known each other and the idea of marriage and children?"

"No, it's obvious that you were destined to be together. Why wait? Life is too short. Now I'd need longer to plan a wedding but I'll happily freeze my cute little butt off for you come Christmas time. I suppose, Edward questioned your sanity."

"Yes he was worried about my career. I'm going to work out of Grace's wardrobe room."

"I was thinking about that on our way over here, Em. I actually have a small conference room off my office. It sits about six, I usually only use it when I have a big project and the plans won't fit on my desk. There is a glass door from my office in to it; you could work from there. Then we'd get to see each other at work."

"That sounds great but when I have clients or you do, won't it look unprofessional to traipse through your office? I drink a lot of coffee, especially in the morning."

"I'm sure we can install an outer door for you to use. When you see it you'd be able to tell right away. You can share my Wi-Fi and there is already a phone in there."

"It would make nooners a lot easier," Emmett chuckled as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Em, if I need to go find brain bleach you are in so much trouble!" I threatened.

"Oh I didn't even think of that bonus. I've got a couch in my office and my desk is very sturdy."

"Grace! I really don't want to think about the two of you screwing."

"Sorry Alice, I promise I don't just love your brother for his body."

"I told you that Alice would be on our side right away."

"I bet Eddy is really sorry he gave his train ticket to you right about now."

"Yes, he wanted Grace to join us just as much as I did at the pub."

"It just would have taken us a little longer to meet, Em. That wouldn't have been fun; dumping Edward for you."

Emmett picked up her hand and kissed it and I felt envious. "So what were you looking for jewelry wise Grace? I'll hook you up with pink blossoms and pink exotic beads for your bracelet."

"Thank you, I was looking for flat pendants, necklaces that make a statement, a daisy ring for my right pinkie..."

"A daisy ring?" I asked.

"Yes a green glass ring with white petals and a yellow center."

The idea intrigued me so I grabbed my sketchpad from the drafting table Em had bought me when I opened my studio. I started drawing and heard him mumble something about food. Grace was watching me with rapt attention and hugged me when she saw the finished sketch. Em came down the stairs with my last container of bocconcini and a fork in his mouth.

"This all you have Ali? I'm hungry and I don't really want to eat fruit."

"Sorry, Bro I knew you'd eat me out of house and home so I didn't bother shopping for this week. We always eat out when you and Eddy are here."

He pouted, speared three bocconcini and continued until there was none of my favorite cheese left. "You sure you don't have any cashews around? You always have some."

I lied, "I finished them on Monday."

He growled which made Grace laugh. "Do you mind if I leave you with Alice to go get something to eat?"

"No go ahead, Em."

"Alice behave," he warned me before kissing Grace and leaving the shop.

"Grace, do you know why Edward isn't here?" I asked as I pulled out the container of cashews I'd hidden behind the counter. Grace took a handful then answered me.

"They figured I'd be such a distraction that you wouldn't even notice he was missing. He got in late last night and was going to spend the day relaxing. He said he'd join us for dinner if you called and told him what time. He seemed to know where you wanted to eat."

"Yes, I take the boys to the same Trattoria all the time. I like the idea of floral rings; I can make roses and tulips too. Mind if I call them Grace's Garden Collection?"

"I'd be honored. Can I see you in action?"

"Sure, let me measure you pinkie."

After I measured her finger, I brought her back to my studio and let her select the green rod she wanted to be her ring. I fired up the glass rod, stretching it until it was the thickness I wanted and bending it over a size seven ring form. I decided that I'd make a leaf on each side and placed it aside to cool off so I could pop the form out. Next I selected a thin white glass rod and made several white petals that I put together using a high heat sodering iron. The tiny circular yellow center came next and I placed it inside then fused the flower to the ring.

"Grace, do you mind if I keep going? I'm in a zone, how about a pink daisy? If you could pick out colors for me I'll make the rings."

"Sure. Do you need me to go get more ring forms for you?"

"Yes, they are over on that table. So tell me more about you Grace."

As I worked, Grace told me about herself and a bit about her brother and sister. Her brother seemed as devoted to her as, Em was to me. She confessed that Em's love for me and simply declaration that he'd die for me made her love him even more. She brought tears to my eyes and when, Em came back, still chewing on food in typical Emmett fashion I tackled him and told him I loved him. He asked if I was drunk and I hit him, which made him laugh. He gave Grace a long kiss and asked what we'd been up to. Grace showed him her ring that was now on her finger and pointed to all the rings and flowers that were sitting on my cooling counter.

"Your sister is incredibly talented."

"Yeah, it didn't take the locals long to adopt her as their own. She's the town's high octane Chihuahua."

I was putting a flower together so I got Grace to swat him one for that comment. He teased me some more and spotted the jar of cashews that was beside Grace's hand.

"You little imp, I knew you had to have cashews around, they are your addiction."

"I knew you would have eaten them all on me, Bear. I'm going to finish putting the flowers on the rings and then we can take Grace on a little tour and meet Eddie for dinner. My cell is on my bedside table, call him and tell him to meet us at seven."

"Fine, do you want some more Aranciata, Gracie?"

Grace turned slightly white and whipped her head around. "Do not ever call me that again Emmett," she hissed.

Em and I exchanged a what the hell look. Grace was looking down at her hands so Emmett stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, "Sorry, Baby I didn't know. I won't make that mistake again, I promise."

Grace sighed and ran her hands across his arms, "Go call your brother and yes some more fizzy orange water would be great."

"Grace..."

"I don't want to talk about it Alice. I think I'm going to go get some fresh air. I'll take a left at the door."

Part of me wanted to press her further but I was fairly certain I'd only anger her and I didn't want my sister in law mad at me. I wanted to be one of her bridesmaids. Emmett came downstairs with another bottle, ignored my suggestion to give Grace some time to herself and went after her.


	10. Never Call Me Gracie!

Emmett was fifty feet away from Alice's door when it dawned on him that he still had Grace's glass in his hand. He could see her in the distance and quickly caught up to her. "Miss Hale, you forgot your drink. Chez Emmett takes their customers thirst seriously." Grace turned around and looked up at Emmett, his cheesy grin with full dimples and sighed, "Did I mention, Jasper calls me Drama Queen too?"

"I guess it's a good thing I'm a patron of the arts. I like drama, prefer comedy but...take a sip of your fizzy orange water."

Grace took a few sips of the water and walked up a bit to sit on a bench overlooking the water. Emmett sat down beside her, resting his arm across the back of the bench and her shoulder. "Alice must think I'm very rude."

"No, she's just worried about you, as am I."

"I guess you want an explanation why I jumped down your throat."

"You didn't jump down my throat, you hissed at me. Just don't tell me you are a Slytherin because that's a deal breaker for me. All hail Gryffindor!"

Grace laughed and rested her head against Emmett's chest. "I went to a Harry Potter exhibit once and I was sorted in to Hufflepuff. I didn't mind because Cedric was a cutie. Edward sort of looks like the grown up version of him except Cedric's hair was tame."

"He's been told that before. It's nice to know my wife shares my passion for Harry."

"You can read Harry to our babies in my womb."

"I'd like that, Miss Diversion."

"I don't like thinking about it and if I tell you, it may ruin the rest of the night."

"I definitely want to know now and I promise you it won't ruin the night."

"It's going to make you very angry."

"Then you better hold your glass. Now tell me why you hate the nickname, Gracie?"

Grace visibly shuddered, "Well I hate thinking about it so the short version is that I was almost raped and Kevin, the rapist pulled me in to his room and said it was his turn to fuck me. I protested and he started calling me names and saying things like: we all know you're the school whore Gracie, I hear you begging for it Gracie. He shoved me on to his bed and put his hand right up my dress. He untied the wrap of my dress leaving me naked and on display. I screamed "NO GET AWAY!" and he shoved a sock in my mouth. He was tying my hands over my head when I kneed him, tore the sock out and screamed help. I had the door unlocked and was just about to open it when he grabbed me by the hair and screamed he was going to fuck me until I passed out. Luckily for me, he made another snide comment and Ben heard him say Gracie. He flung the door open and saw me crying while Kevin was pulling me towards the bed. Ben beat the crap out of him and I ran to Ben's room. The Campus Police told me I could press charges but the fact that I was dressed the way I was and the fact that I was on the floor to have sex would make it very hard for me to get justice."

"Fuck, I want to rip this motherfucker's limbs off and beat him with them." Emmett roared.

"I knew you'd react this way, Em."

"Tell me you went ahead with charging the fucker for attempted rape anyway."

"No, I didn't want my parents finding out what I was doing on campus when they thought I was at the library studying. I also had two more years of school to go and didn't want the entire campus looking at me and judging me. I let it go but every time I hear that name it makes me think of his hands on my body."

"Baby, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I'll never use that name. Did you tell Jasper?"

"No, I knew he'd kill Kevin and end up in jail. Other then Ben you are the only person who knows."

"So the fucker got away scott free?"

"No, Ben got some revenge for me. Kevin always had pot and small amounts of coke in his room. He was the residence's dealer. Ben snuck in to his room and planted large amounts of pot and more coke then called the cops. He was kicked out of school. That's all I wanted, to never have to see him again. I exchange Christmas cards with Ben and Dan still. Last year, Dan mentioned that he ran into Kevin's sister and she told him that he was in prison for embezzlement in Arizona."

"Well he better stay in Arizona because if I ever see him..."

"Em, I don't want you in jail either. Now take a sip of my water and kiss me. We'll both feel better."

"I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me, Grace. You could have made up a story about a tormenting bully in grade school."

Grace smiled softly at Emmett and held his face in her hands, "Em, the only time I'll ever hide something from you it will have something to do with a surprise gift or birthday party. You know little white lies."

"Like when I will tell you that you look fabulous in a dress and what I really mean is I want you out of it?"

"Exactly! " Grace laughed, "Can we go back to Alice's before she comes looking for us?"

"Sure, what do you want me to tell her because she will ask?"

"Bad memories of a jackass in college who called me that. Tell her I never told Jasper because he would have maimed the guy and ended up in jail."

"That will work, I'll tell Edward not to call you it either and use the same reason if he asks."

When they got back to Alice's, Grace went up to the bathroom and Emmett explained what happened. Alice gave Grace a hug and promised not to use the nickname.

"Alice did, Em mention that before I met you I told him I might dump his sexy ass for you?"

"No, he neglected to mention that."

"Ah but Grace asked if you had a nun fetish." Emmett replied quickly.

"Nun fetish...ah the St. Francis Academy movies, Sound of Music and Sister Act. You have good taste in movies Grace. What's your position on horror movies?"

"Hate them, I hate blood and gore. I like comedies, drama, action adventures, spy movies, and animated films."

"Do you like Bond movies?" Alice asked.

"Yes and the Bourne series."

"I fuc..freaking love the Bourne movies." Emmett replied with a fist pump and huge grin."

"I'm not a huge Bond fan but I do like Matt Damon. Did you call Edward when you went upstairs, Em?"

"No I just grabbed the water. I'll go call him now, seven right?"

"Yes that is correct Emmett." Alice replied rolling her eyes. "So tell me about your family Grace."

Grace spoke about her parents for a few minutes and how close she was to James' mother and father. After explaining who James was and getting a high five from Alice for handling him the way she did, Grace moved on to Rose then finally Jasper. "My brother and I have the same special bond that you have with Em. Jasper would both kill for me and die to protect me. Like I said before; when Emmett said he'd die for you I fell even deeper in love with him. The way a man treats his sister is very telling. Mind you, I never pushed Jasper's buttons the way you press your brothers. Alice, you have to admit that you give them reason to call you, the Evil Pixie. Jasper calls me a Drama Queen."

"They both just get their panties in a knot because I know better than them. I can sense things Grace. I can feel it in my bones when one of them is going to do something stupid. It took me five seconds to know you two were made for each other. Em is a good poker player but I can read his face in seconds and know what is going on in his head. Sometimes it's not very much, Alice teased. I can just tell when Edward has spent a week sleeping on his office couch. I call him and threaten a visit unless he goes home and goes out to socialize. Thank God for Angela or he'd never get out in the real world."

"Do you have Angela on speed dial?"

"No, I've got it memorized: her cell, home and work. I wish Edward would realize what a gem she is but his first love is his career and Angela won't settle for being second."

"I don't blame her. I have a confession to make when I saw Em and Edward in the pub; it was Edward I was drawn to. I loved Em's smile and laugh but I'm normally not a huge fan of guys built like him. I'm glad it was Emmett in the cafe because I wouldn't have played second fiddle to a career either. Fate brought us together."

"Yes, I'd have to agree. Emmett Cullen! I know you are on the stairs listening to us. Get your ass down here."

"Know it all, Evil Pixie," Emmett grumbled and made his way down to the shop floor. "I got Edward, he said he'd see us at seven."

"Good, Grace looks better than me. I'm going to go change. Start locking up for me, Bear. Grace grab one of those boxes behind the counter and put everything you've picked out so far in it and leave the box under the table."

"Yes, Boss, " Grace replied with a grin.

Emmett simply stuck his tongue out at his sister then did what he was asked to do. He locked the store door, flipped the sign to closed then headed in to the studio to turn everything off. Em, knew Alice would check everything herself but he really didn't mind doing it.

"Can I do anything Em?" Grace asked.

Emmett stopped for a second, opened the cash register and took out most of the bills leaving only the change and the equivalent of fifty Euros. "Bring this money up to Alice, she'll put it in the safe."

"Sure. Alice I'm on my way up with money so get decent!"

Alice was standing on a chair in her large closet wearing red boy shorts and a red cleavage-boosting bra. She pulled a clear box out and asked Grace to grab it. "Just put the money on my bed, I'll deal with it in a minute."

Grace opened the top of the box and gently took out the beige peek-toe 6-inch Louboutin heels. "I have these shoes too, I brought them with me. Em is going to freak when he sees my shoe wall in my wardrobe room. He wouldn't let me get off the boat in these heels; he forced me to take them off. I own one pair of running shoes and maybe four pairs of ballet flats, everything else has a minimum four inch heel."

"I wear them for height you wear them to make your legs look longer."

"That and I've always just loved them. So what are you going to wear?"

"A flirty pleated maroon skirt and a black top."

"Cute, I'll wait for you downstairs..."

"You don't have to go Grace. I'd like you to stay actually. I love this idea of finally having a sister. So what is the first thing you do when you get home from work?"

"Most of the time I'd start making dinner then go take my clothes off. James wanted dinner served to him in sexy lingerie."

"What a pig! Don't tell, Em that or he'll get ideas."

"With your brother it won't be an obligation when I do it. Emmett made me see how much he was controlling me. He always told me what to wear for company events. He wanted everyone to know he had the sexiest girlfriend. He had the utter gall once to ask if I'd blow one of his clients. I laughed and told him he was funny. Now I can see that he was serious."

"Em, can be a real idiot sometimes but he's going to treat you like a princess."

"Yes, he is already worshiping me. How can you stand being so far away from him?"

"We talk every couple of days, Skype, e-mail and we even exchange letters. Plus he comes to see me twice a year and I go back home twice a year. I meet Edward in London and we go home for Thanksgiving every year."

"Not Christmas?"

"No, it bugs Em, since it's his favourite holiday but I like Thanksgiving better."

"That would be because Black Friday is better shopping than Boxing Day." Grace laughed.

"Exactly, try to make him understand that would you? This Christmas I'll make the exception like I said."

"Good because I need a bridesmaid and Em needs his former favorite person on earth there when he gets married."

"I hope you know that you are the only person I'd settle being second for."

"Thank you Alice. So what does, Em love?"

"Food, a cold beer, watching football, sex, reading, working out, food, sex, going to movies, food and sex," Alice replied with a smirk.

"I figured the food and sex part out already," Grace laughed as Alice went over to her dresser to put a silver necklace on.

Alice slid her feet into her heels and grabbed her purse. She was about to leave the room when Grace reminded her about the money. She quickly tossed it in to the safe that was hidden in the closet floorboards and grabbed a black sweater. "Let's go Grace, do you need the bathroom?"

"Might not be a bad idea."

"Meet us downstairs."

Emmett smiled when he saw Grace at the bottom of the steps, "I missed you, Gorgeous."

"I was barely gone twenty minutes!"

"I know but I still missed you. I'll forgive you if you kiss me."

"Smooth, Emmett!" Alice laughed rolling her eyes dramatically.

Grace rolled her eyes too before she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long passionate kiss and a peck on his nose. "So where are we going to eat?"

"To my favorite restaurant in Venice and it happens to be right here in Murano. It's called Trattoria Busa Alle Torre Da Lele. Lele is the owner and he adores me so be prepared for a feast."

"The food is great, Sweetie especially the seafood."

"I love seafood so I'm happy. Do they serve Tiramisu?"

"Yes and it's heavenly," Alice answered.

Walking over to the Trattoria, Alice played tour guide pointing out places of interest and Emmett would interject ever so often to show Grace a piece of architecture he admired. Alice teased her that she must really be in love to eagerly listen to Emmett prattle on. Grace hit Alice lightly in the arm and told her that Emmett had promised her an architectural tour of Venice on Friday. Alice made it clear that she'd only be joining them for dinner in that case. Alice spotted Edward sitting at a table for four on the piazza with a glass of red wine in his hand. She picked up her pace and yelled at him, "Edward Cullen you get over here and kiss your sister!"

Edward rolled his eyes, put his glass down and walked over to his little sister. He opened up his arms and got ready for the Pixie to jump in to them. She surprised him by just walking in to his body. He kissed the top of her head a few times since that was the only part of her that he could reach and hugged her tightly.

Grace noted the difference in the greetings and pulled Emmett back for a second. "Edward is quite conservative and stiff compared to you. He looks happy to see Alice but his body is so rigid. He braced himself."

"You have to brace yourself with Alice or she could knock you down. She's done it to me. You are right though, I think he's spent too much time in London, he's adapted the stiff upper lip and all that other proper shit."

Grace elbowed him lightly, "Stop swearing! I think I'm going to start a swear jar when we are living together."

Emmett kissed her cheek then laughed, "Baby, I'd just put in a thousand bucks to cover the first month."

"I'd say I was in love with a Neanderthal but you are far too intelligent to qualify as one."

"Thanks, Gorgeous."

"You do get that I wasn't exactly trying to compliment you!"

Emmett laughed again and turned on his mega watt dimpled grin, "I am what I am and you love me for it."

By the time Emmett and Grace sat down at the table Alice had gone inside. She came back out with a tall well built red head who slapped Edward and Emmett on the back in greeting. "Buona sera, bella," he said to Grace who knew he was saying good evening beautiful.

"Grazie, buona sera." Grace answered before shaking his hand.

"Grace, this is Lele, he will prepare a feast to celebrate your engagement."

"Emmett sei un uomo fortunato."

"Grazie, Lele." Emmett replied and shook his hand.

A waiter appeared with four more wine glasses and poured house red in to each glass. Lele took a glass and raised it for a toast, "Per Emmett e Grace possono avere molti anni di felicità."

"Grazie," Grace and Emmett said in unison.

Once Lele left, Grace looked over at Alice, "He told, Em he was a fortunate man and wished us many years of happiness, right?"

"Almost, it's actually a lucky man and the full toast was Emmett and Grace may you have many years of happiness."

"That was so sweet of him. I can see why you like this place so much and I haven't even tasted the food."

A large plate of ugly white looking crustaceans was placed in the middle of the table and Emmett moaned in bliss. Alice gave him the stink eye and told him it was for the table not just him.

Grace chuckled, "What is it that has him so excited?"

"This is Canoce and it's also known as Mantis Shrimp. It's one of the sweetest crustaceans you will ever eat. There is actually a fishing embargo in August, fisherman have just started to be able to catch it again."

"I love lobster and crab but nothing compares to Canoce," Emmett muttered as he took one in his large hand and pulled the sweet meat out. He brought it over to Grace's mouth and she bit half of it off. Emmett quickly ate the other half.

"It's ugly but damn is it ever tasty. It is so sweet," Grace concurred.

"I could eat this entire plate myself but I won't." Emmett added as he started pulling the meat out of several Canoce to save Grace from getting messy fingers. He only had a few left when he realized that Edward and Alice were just sitting back letting him do all the work. He growled at them and left them on the plate before he speared two on his fork and ate them. Grace had been eating them as he worked so she had one more and then figured she had eaten her share. Edward and Alice's forks were battling for the sweet meat as Emmett worked around them. A plate of fried shrimp and calamari were placed on the table. Edward abandoned the fight for Canoce and started to eat the calamari. Grace had just finished a shrimp when Emmett offered her the last Canoce.

"It's yours, Em you did all the work. Thank you for the offer though."

Emmett popped it in to his mouth then wiped his hands before taking a sip of wine and helping himself to shrimp. Alice and Edward ate most of the calamari and Grace and Emmett most of the shrimp. Next, two plates of spaghetti in cuttlefish ink and two plates of grilled branzino fillet were put on the table. Edward claimed the spaghetti and Emmett took the fillet.

Alice smiled at Grace, "I like both so why don't you taste them and which ever one you like best you keep."

Alice was pleased to get the spaghetti since she actually preferred it. They played a game of 20 questions while they ate and indulged in the excellent house wine. Grace was full but couldn't resist ordering a Tiramisu with a glass of Amaretto. She spoon-fed Emmett the Tiramisu she couldn't finish and sipped on her drink. Emmett leaned over to kiss her and lengthened the kiss because she tasted like coffee and almond paste from the Amaretto.

Edward told them to rent a room so Alice swatted him and Emmett kissed her again just to annoy him. Grace came out of the kiss with a big grin on her face and she stuck her tongue out at Edward. "You are far too young to be an old fuddy duddy!"

Alice and Emmett started to laugh and Edward eventually grinned at Grace who was giving him the same look he was shooting at her. They thanked Lele and promised they would be back.

They all went back to Alice's and the boys groaned as she insisted on showing Grace a photo album of the three of them growing up. Grace fell in love with a few pictures and asked Alice if she could get her copies of them as her wedding present. Alice agreed and talked Emmett in to letting Grace spend Thursday afternoon with her. It was a little after midnight when they said good-bye to Alice and headed over to the dock.

Grace was drunk and Emmett discovered a drunk Grace was a horny girl. He had his arms wrapped around her waist pinning her arms to her side to keep her from undoing another button on her blouse. She was grinding her butt against him telling him to take her from behind. Emmett was glad the darkness was hiding his erection when he carried her off the boat. Grace giggled a good bye to Edward and Emmett put her down once they were in the private garden. She wasted no time undoing the remaining buttons on her blouse and tossing it at Emmett. She stopped for a second and pulled both her skirt and underwear off leaving her just in the 6-inch heels and her bra. "Let's fuck in the pool, Em!" She announced loudly.

"Grace, you are drunk and water is not a good place for you to be in right now."

"You're mean!" Grace replied taking her bra off and flinging it to her right. Emmett was going to retrieve it when she started heading to the pool area. He quickly caught up to her and breathed a sigh of relief when he found her leaning over the patio table. "Fuck me here."

"Grace, I think the bed is the best place for us."

"No, I want you to fuck me on this table then you can fuck me in bed."

"Grace do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Then do as I ask please." Emmett picked her up, carried her in to the suite and placed her on the bed.

Grace started playing with herself as Emmett undressed and joined her in bed. "Now do you want me to fuck you or make love to you?"

"Fuck me, fuck me hard!"

"As you wish." Emmett replied and kissed her gently before clamping his teeth down on her nipple.

Grace was fast asleep in his arms when he left a light kiss on her temple. "You are going to be hung over and sore in the morning, my silly girl." He listened to her soft snore and let it lull him to sleep.


	11. Bailey's Syrup and Cannonballs

Grace woke up a little after ten and found herself alone in bed. She stretched and felt around for a note until her hand hit cool paper. Her head was hurting but she wanted to read Emmett's note first.

Grace,

I went to work out with Edward. You are a demanding and horny drunk so if you are sore, don't blame me. I left you a bottle of water and Advil on the bedside table. Drink all the water and take a few pills, I'm sure you'll have a hangover headache. Alice is going to make you chocolate chip pancakes for lunch. I ordered some croissants if you are hungry, they are in the dinning room. I should be back around 11:45.

Love you,

Em

XOXO

Grace sat up in bed, took three Advils and downed the bottle of water. Now that Emmett mentioned it, the muscles in her legs did feel a little sore and her breasts were tender. She got up to examine her body in the full-length mirror and gasped when she saw the numerous hickeys all over her body and the teeth marks. Grace rubbed one hand across her face, trying to remember last night. Her memory was a little fuzzy but she could hear herself telling Em to mark her as his own. She wandered in to the dinning room, sat down and attacked the Cherry Danish that was sitting there, washing it down with orange juice. She really wanted a pot of coffee so she ordered one, asking for it to be served poolside. Grace brought out the covered plate of pastries and put it on the table. She changed in to her tiny red string bikini, grabbed a towel, her sunglasses and made herself comfortable on the lounge chair.

When the coffee arrived, she ignored the way the room service waiter was looking at her. Once he was gone, she wondered if it was her body or the marks on it that seemed to hypnotize him until she took the tray out of his hands. She poured herself a cup and drank it between bites of a fluffy and buttery croissant. She was just about to doze off again when she heard Emmett's booming voice, "Hi, honey I'm home."

"How did you know I was out here?"

"I saw the sun bounce off of something metal. I knew it had to be the dome for the pastries."

Emmett made his way over to the pool area and stopped short when he saw her laying there in one of the tiniest string bikinis he had ever seen. He reset his jaw then scanned her body looking at all the marks he had left on her. He forgot all about Edward being with him.

Edward's jaw was still dropped and he was cursing himself again for not taking the bloody trip on the Orient Express himself. He knew he should stop ogling his brother's girl but he couldn't help himself. Grace took her sunglasses off and looked straight at him, "Edward, would you like to take a picture? It will last longer."

Emmett came out of his own little world, "Dude, stop staring at my girl!"

"Bro, I can't help it and how could you have so thoroughly marked that beautiful body?"

"She asked me to do it, so I did."

"Your note Em, made me see why you were single again. 'You are a demanding and horny drunk so if you are sore, don't blame me.' Such sweet and tender prose, NOT! Come over here so I can swat you."

"I was only telling the truth, Gorgeous."

"There is telling the truth, and then there is being far too blunt, you big oaf."

"Notice that I didn't mark your neck or any other place that might not be covered by your clothes?

"No but Jasper will appreciate it. His hostility will be greatly reduced. Have a pastry Edward."

"No thanks, Em and I plan on charming the Pixie into making pancakes for us too."

"No Crown Royal for you, Alice uses Baileys instead."

"With chocolate chip pancakes? Em, I am dumping your ass for her."

Edward laughed, "You'd have to move down here. Alice loves it too much. She's been offered some amazing job opportunities all over the world and she says no every time. She claims that Murano is in her blood."

"Fine, guess I'll keep you Em so I can claim her as my sister in law."

"I can feel the love," Emmett replied sarcastically as he rolled his eyes and bent down to leave a kiss on Grace's lips. "Go get changed, Alice is expecting you by 12:30."

"I'll meet you at the boat dock. Sorry for staring Grace, you are just too stunning to ignore."

"Thank you, Edward we'll see you in about twenty minutes."

Grace waited a minute for Edward to be out of viewing range and pulled the little strings keeping her bikini on. "This is how I wanted to be dressed out here but then I ordered coffee."

"You really are trying to kill me Grace. I would not have been happy if Eddy saw you laying there naked."

"Sorry, I was only thinking about your reaction. Do you want to pick my underwear out again?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Emmett replied with a huge grin.

"It has to be something pale I'm wearing a light yellow dress."

Grace went to fix her hair and brush her teeth again while Emmett went through her lingerie collection. He finally picked out an almost sheer white bra and matching thong and brought them to her. Grace put them on and turned a few times for Emmett so he could get a good look before she stepped in to a pale yellow lace dress with a silk lining. She picked up a beige skinny belt and Emmett insisted on putting it around her small waist as he kissed her neck telling her how beautiful she was. He anticipated which heels of death she'd be wearing so he went to get them for her. "Didn't Alice have these shoes on last night?"

"Yes. Em, can I tell you how much I love how attentive you are to me? James would be yelling at me to hurry my ass up."

"James was clearly an ass not to mention a wanker, douche bag and all around prick. I like doing things for you, Gorgeous."

"Thank you, Em. I appreciate it more than you will ever know."

"Can I have a kiss before you put your lip gloss on?"

"How about I don't bother with lip gloss until you and Edward are gone after lunch? What are you two going to do anyway?"

"I'm going to go get us more chocolates and then we are going to hang around the pool."

"Don't forget to get Alice's chocolate and a box for me this afternoon."

"They are already sitting on the bed. We only have two boxes left that's why I'm going to replenish our supply. Does Rose like chocolate?"

"Yes but only buy her one, that is all she'll eat. Get her the dark chocolate raspberry one. You can pick up a box for Jasper, he likes caramels, nuts and mint."

"OK, I know what you want and I definitely know what I want. Will you be my serving platter tonight?"

Grace ignored his question, "Are we eating at Lele's again? I hope that's where you are taking Alice for her birthday dinner."

"We are eating here tonight actually. Ed and I normally take her to another place but with Rose and Jasper joining us, Lele's is probably the perfect place. I'll make the arrangements today."

"What's her favorite type of cake? I was going to make her one on Friday."

"How?"

"They are giving me access to one of the kitchens here."

"She'll love a homemade cake. White cake, deep chocolate icing."

"Buy me a can of cocoa if you can at Viziovirtú."

"Don't forget my tour on Friday."

"Are you kidding? I'm really looking forward to it. I'll make the cake in the morning before we go. It's sad that your parents won't be here for her thirtieth."

"I tried to swing it but one of my dad's coworker's daughter is getting married on Saturday. Would you mind if I sent my mom a save the date e-mail today?"

"I would prefer to meet them in person first but I guess with your dad's schedule the earlier he knows the better."

"Let me take a picture of you now so I can send it. I'm certainly not sending the pictures I already have of you."

"What, you don't think your mom would appreciate seeing my nipples or my ass?" Grace laughed.

"No, I know she would not appreciate it."

"How about you take a picture of me with Alice?"

"Good idea, your daisy ring looks really cute with that dress on. You look like the worlds prettiest flower."

"Thank you, Em. Are you wearing those jeans to Alice's?"

"Yeah, the gym has a shower and I made use of it. I have a pale yellow dress shirt, want me to put it on?"

"Yes, Alice can take a picture of us together. You could send your mom that pic too."

"I think she'd like that. Mom is going to love you and my dad is going to give you the once over for a few minutes before he says anything."

"You mean check me out? You and Edward obviously got your charm from him."

"Yes, Ma'am. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, give me your arm and lead the way."

Edward watched his brother and Grace on the way over until he couldn't handle it for another second. Their overt joy was making him sick to his stomach and jealous as hell. Emmett went in for coffee and came out with a woman who found him utterly charming and worthy of true love. He suddenly realized how lonely he was. Edward had no trouble getting sex, he had an exclusive arrangement with a girl from work but it was so hollow compared to what Emmett had. He'd never been jealous of his younger brother before and he had to admit that he was also bitter. Grace should have been his but he chose to make his career more important.

"Edward do you have a headache? You look like you are in pain."

"Yes," Edward lied, "I'll take a pill once we get to Alice's."

"I've got pills in my purse and there is bottled water on board."

"Thanks, Grace but I can wait."

"Ed doesn't like taking pills, he tries to ignore headaches first," Emmett stated as he came over and wrapped his arms around Grace.

"I wait five minutes then take a pill. I don't like to suffer."

"I wait about fifteen minutes, Gorgeous."

Edward closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to watch them anymore. He'd have to tease Emmett about matching her and being completely whipped. He was fairly certain the big lug was too far gone to care. The boat pulled in to the dock and Edward went on ahead of them. Grace assumed he wanted pills and water from his sister. Edward walked in to his sister's store and yelled, "The sickenly sweet couple are a minute or two behind me Ali."

"You are just grumpy because Em met Grace instead of you. She's meant to be his Bro, she would have met him down here and it would have been love at first sight. How do you think you'd be feeling if she dumped you for him?"

"Thanks for the sugar coating, Pixie. You owe me cheer up pancakes."

"Get your ass up here. Did you really think I wasn't expecting you and the bottomless pit to come begging for food when you heard what I was serving?"

"I guess we are rather predictable," Edward replied as he hugged his sister and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

"You are both Momma's boys. Mom isn't going to take Em moving to Boston very well."

"Don't you think they are taking things a little too fast? Em seems to think he can send his partners an e-mail, spend maybe a week back home and move to Boston for good."

"It seems fast until you look at them both and see just how deeply in love they are. Life is too short to waste time Ed. Em won't be going home to an empty townhouse anymore. You've got a great flat, an impressive business title and no one to share it with. Emmett works hard but he plays harder; you just work hard. You are obviously unhappy about your lack of a life but you are the only one who can seriously do anything about it."

"I have a life Alice!"

"No brother dear, you have an existence."

Edward scowled at her and huffed off to her bedroom to sulk. Alice shook her head and started to make her pancake batter. She had just poured in the chocolate chips when an idea came to her. "Hey Ed, you can ask that girl you have sex with if she has any friends."

"Yeah, that would go over well," Edward laughed darkly.

"Well you have to start somewhere. Show Angela that you are not just about work and maybe..."

"Beside you and Em, Angela is my best friend. We tried once, we were both very drunk and kissed and it just felt so wrong."

"If you would have let me finished... I was going to say, she maybe able to help you get out more so you can meet new people."

"Oh, that's something to think about. They should be here any second, they think I have a headache."

"Fine, you can sulk in my room until the pancakes are done."

"Yo lady can I get some service?" Emmett yelled obnoxiously from downstairs.

"Grace, hit him then turn the sign on my door and lock it please," Alice yelled back.

Emmett was surprised when Grace followed Alice's requests including hitting him. She smiled at him and blew him a kiss as she climbed the stairs.

"Grace! Would you stop dressing like a super model, I'm the fashionista of this family!"

"Sorry, Alice but I'm pretty much a girlie girl. I don't wear jeans often."

"Lucky for me she's also a naughty girl," Emmett added with a big grin.

"Emmett!" Grace and Alice yelled in unison and punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Eddy get out here and help defend me!"

"Em, you dug your own grave and I'm not helping you climb out of it," Edward chuckled from Alice's room.

"Some sibling you are," Emmett muttered then added, "Evil Pixie."

"What was that Em? You don't want pancakes?"

"Em, now would be a good time to give your sister the chocolates you bought for her."

"Hand them over Bear and I won't hurt you for at least ten minutes. Grace about dumping him for me..."

"Sorry, Squirt but I'm never letting her go. Grace is mine, all mine and I'm all hers."

Grace gave him a wicked smirk, "Clearly he gets the better deal."

Edward snorted from the bedroom, which made Alice burst out laughing. Emmett pouted until Grace wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed a smile on to his face. Forty-five minutes later, Grace was using her finger to get the last few drops of Baileys syrup out of the syrup bottle. She was stuffed but if there were any pancakes left she would have kept eating them. Alice was shocked watching Emmett and her matching each other pancake for pancake moaning in bliss.

Grace had Emmett take a picture of her with Alice and then a picture of them together and finally she took a picture of the Cullen children. She knew Em's mom would love a new picture of her kids too. Alice pushed her brothers out after they did the dishes for her and pulled Grace over to the couch where they both kicked off their heels.

"Do you want to look at more photo albums Grace?"

"I'd love too. Alice, yesterday you said Em liked to read yet I haven't seen him with a book once."

"He has a Kindle and he needs glasses to read. He has a complex about wearing them, he thinks he looks like a nerd."

"What kind of glasses are they? Are they Coke bottle thick or something?"

"No, they are rectangular brown tortoise shell frames with normal lenses. They are fashionable, I picked them out for him."

"Mmm I think I'd find him very sexy in them."

Alice laughed, "Tell him that and maybe he'll put them on for you."

"I love to read Alice, I pictured us cuddled up on a crappy day reading."

"Ask him to read to you tonight. You know he'll do anything for you."

"I know, he always says 'As you wish', I take it Princess Bride was another favorite movie of yours."

"Actually, Em likes it more than I do. Hey do you have a picture of your siblings on your phone?" Alice asked as she handed over another photo album.

Grace got her purse and showed Alice pictures of Rose first before she went in to her Jasper file. She set the pictures to show as a slide show and handed the phone to her. Alice's heart skipped several beats when she first saw his honey blond hair, warm light brown eyes and killer smile. In every picture he seemed to be looking straight in to her soul and she could feel her heart start to race. _I'm going to marry your brother_, Grace she thought to herself.

"How tall is he?"

"6'3, he's a little more built than Edward."

Grace smiled when she noticed that Alice was in her own little world looking at the pictures of Jasper over and over again with a dreamy look on her face. Alice was not Jasper's usual type but then again Emmett wasn't hers. Instead of a filly, Jasper would be dealing with a live wire. After twenty minutes of looking at his pictures, Alice started asking Grace question after question about her big brother.

While Grace was entertaining, Alice with Jasper stories, Edward and Emmett were lounging around the main pool with a cold beer beside them. Emmett had already sent three very attractive women away telling them his fiancée was in the spa.

"You know Em, one of those girls might have been interested in me."

"I guess it's possible, unlikely, but possible."

Edward flashed his brother the middle finger and leaned over just enough to punch him in the arm. Emmett just grinned at him and returned the finger. "Dude, if you want to hook up with someone, Grace's sister..."

"Rose?"

"Yes, I've seen pictures Ed and she's hotter than hell. Rose has a killer rack, long legs, blonde hair and she seems to like being poured in to short dresses. She's Grace's sister though, so she manages to look classy not slutty."

"How old is she?"

"Umm give me a second, Grace is 32 so that makes Rose, 30. Mrs. Hale had her three kids two years apart."

"Interesting, but I'd still be alone when Rose goes back to Boston."

"Holy Fuck, you are jealous of me! I never thought I'd live to see the day that you'd be jealous of me."

"Well I never thought it would be possible, believe me."

"Edward if you want a girlfriend you have to actually be around to spend time with her."

"I know that idiot. Alice suggested I talk to Angela and go out more often. She has to have other friends beside Tanya."

"Who are you calling idiot? You moron! I'm the one with the gorgeous woman who is committed to me..."

"Grace should be committed for falling for you in the first place."

"Fuck you, I still think you should practice on Rose, she's been single for several months."

"Shit, you really did listen to everything Grace said."

"Committed most of it to memory. It was easy; we spent so much time talking on the train. Spent a hell of a lot of time kissing too. I told her about my fantasy the night we first saw her and she made it happen. She wants to know all my fantasies so she can make them a reality. Monday night, she put on the most erotic sheer black babydoll that I have ever seen. I thought I was going to have a massive heart attack when I saw her and dude is she ever flexibendy."

"First of all, flexibendy isn't a word and secondly, I don't want to hear the details," Edward sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Sure it's a word just like tittacular, which Grace's are. Hard to tell from the pictures but Rose might be a 38 double D."

"You and your stupid made up words. I find it hard to believe a college actually granted you a degree and I was there to see it."

"You are just so jealous. I'm going to start calling your Kermit or would you prefer Kermmy?"

"How about you just shut the fuck up?"

Emmett picked up his beer, took a long pull then smirked at his brother. "I'm going for a swim."

"Drowning could be a good option for you," Edward replied with his own smirk.

Emmett responded by doing a cannonball in to the pool, successfully getting Edward wet who gave him the middle finger. Edward picked up his phone and called Alice.

"What's up Eddy?"

"I'm going to kill Emmett. He's driving me nuts and he just got me rather soaked with a cannonball. Tell Grace that she will be holding a funeral instead of a wedding."

"So the idiot is still in the pool?"

"Yes."

"Ignore him, we are on the way."

"Thanks Ali."

"I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing it for Grace," Alice laughed before hanging up.

"What on earth is my Em doing?"

"Annoying the crap out of Ed and he just did a cannonball in the pool to soak him."

"I'm in love with a juvenile delinquent. Time to go kick his ass."

"I didn't think I could love you anymore Grace but your willingness to kick ass when he needs it..."

"Thanks Ali, I love you too."

Alice threw her arms around Grace before quickly packing an over night bag. Twenty minutes later they were headed out to rescue Edward and punish Emmett.


	12. Read To Me

Sorry folks I thought this was already posted. Chapter 13 is being checked as we speak.

Emmett knew he was in trouble when he heard the tone in Grace's voice as she ordered him out of the pool. He quickly used his arm muscles to propel himself out of the water. She was standing there with her arms crossed over her chest, tapping her right foot giving him a look that said I'm not amused in the least. Emmett gave her a small smile then flashed her his dimples.

"Dimples won't work on me Cullen," Grace lied as she was fighting to keep a smile off her face.

"You apologize this instant to Edward for driving him insane and getting him all wet."

"Gorgeous, he's beside a pool. He should expect to get wet."

"Not by his 33 year old brother doing a cannonball! Apologize."

"Sorry Ed."

"Apology accepted," Edward replied with a smirk on his face.

"Why are you smirking? You are 35 years old who tattletales to your baby sister! Alice and I were bonding until you called."

"Sorry Grace, Sorry Ali."

"Since you both have trouble behaving in public you will be following us back to our pool where we can keep an eye on you from the suite."

"But we don't have any beer there Grace."

"Then go get one at the bar and head straight back to our room."

"Yes Ma'am."

Alice bit on her lower lip to prevent herself from laughing. She waited until they were long out of hearing range then broke out in to laughter, "Holy crap Grace! You resisted the dimples and gave Eddie shit too. They are no longer going to threaten to unleash me on each other; you are the new sheriff in town and damn you are good at it."

Grace started giggling, "Alice, it took every ounce in me to resist those dimples. I was chastising him verbally but I wanted to kiss those dimples so bad. Do you want to join them at the pool or take the Palladio tour and settle in there?"

"Phew, knowing you wanted to break makes me feel better but I'm still impressed that you didn't. How about a swim after dinner? I'd prefer to avoid putting on sunscreen and chat in air conditioning."

While the girls were walking to the Palladio Suite, Emmett and Edward were standing in line at the bar.

"Dude, I'm no longer bitter about Grace. She's got your number and she's got it good."

"Tell me about it! I better pray I never seriously piss her off. I'll be running home to mom to protect me."

Edward laughed, "The drinks are on me. Em, that's another reason not to rush in to marriage. You want to know if you can survive your first serious fight. Live with her but..."

"Nope, I'd marry her tonight if I could Ed. I just know that we are meant to be husband and wife. Hell we are trying to have kids now."

"What? Emmett have you lost your mind? Sane people usually want some time to just be a couple before having their lives forever altered."

"Edward we are not a normal couple and we are both sane."

Edward was saved from a comeback by the bartender asking what they wanted. He ordered them two beers each and then they headed over to the suite. Emmett entered the pin number to open the gate and five minutes later they were set back up pool side. Emmett entered the suite to get some chocolate and found Alice and Grace sitting in the living room laughing.

"We are back, I came in to get some chocolate. Do you want a box?"

"Yes please. Em, can I have a kiss first?"

Emmett grinned before dropping down to his knees so he could kiss her while she was still sitting on the couch. He could see Alice watching them out of the corner of his eye and lengthened the kiss until he needed oxygen.

"Mmm, thank you. Grab the sunscreen I don't want you to burn."

"Will you..."

"Yes I'll put it on for you."

"Why don't you join us, then you can keep a really good eye on me?"

"The point of today was a girls day Em, you'll get Grace back just before dinner," Alice responded.

"Alice wants to go swimming after dinner when we don't need to worry about sunscreen."

"Ali, Grace and I had a deal that she was all mine after dinner. I shared her today but I'm not willing to share her once dinner comes to an end. Sorry but it's non negotiable."

"I forgot about our deal Alice. You can still go swimming but I'll be in here with Em with a do not disturb sign on the patio door."

Alice huffed, "Dinner is at seven so maybe I'll go in at five then."

"The sunscreen is in the bathroom, follow me, Mr. Cullen."

"I'll follow you anywhere, Miss Hale."

"You are so cheesy Em, " Alice quipped.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm a huge fan of cheese," Grace retorted.

"Yup, you two are made for each other, "Alice groaned.

Grace took her time rubbing sunscreen into Emmett's muscular body leaving a lingering kiss on his lips when she was done. He took two boxes of chocolates out giving Grace one of them.

"You better keep them under the lounge chair or they will melt even faster," She suggested.

"Twenty chocolates won't have time to melt with Ed and I. They'll be lucky to last ten minutes. I only savor chocolate with you."

"Tell Edward he should have sunscreen on too."

"I'll tell him but he doesn't burn."

"Two words: skin cancer."

"Yes, Mom," Emmett replied with a big grin.

Grace gave him a slap on the ass and shoed him outside, "Don't go in to the water for twenty minutes!"

She brought the box of chocolates with her and sat back down on the couch. Alice went straight for the dark chocolate mint cream. Grace smiled and took two of them. Alice started to laugh, "Mint cream one of your favorites?"

"Yes."

"Either you've picked up my brother's possessive food nature really fast or..."

"I'm a foodie Alice, you should have seen me at my non wedding reception. I ate the entire top layer of my wedding cake myself. It was chocolate brownie with dark chocolate icing covered by butter cream icing."

"Did you tell Em that?"

"Yes, he started salivating. It will obviously be our wedding cake."

"What time are your siblings arriving Saturday?"

"Seven in the morning."

"Since I'm staying over tonight and tomorrow night think I can go with you to meet them?"

"If you promise not to jump Jasper before I can hug him."

"Grace, I'd do no such...OK I would... but since I love you so much I'll behave."

"Then you can come with Em and I. Why are we celebrating your birthday on Saturday when it's really not until Tuesday?"

"Well after Beavis and Butthead take me to dinner, I force them to go to a dance club with me. Saturday is the only night the music is decent."

"I have a hard time seeing Edward at a dance club. I know Em can move, we danced on the train."

"Mom taught us all how to ballroom dance, so Edward will waltz with me when they slow the music down to a ballad."

"Jasper knows how to dance." Grace stated with a devilish smirk.

"Oh really, you've been holding out on me Grace. What else are you hiding?"

"Alice, I've already told you way too much. I have to leave Jasper with something to talk to you about. Getting to know someone is part of the fun."

"What are you wearing Saturday night?"

"I have absolutely no idea."

"You are not out shinning me at my own party. We are going to pick something now and that is what you will wear!"

"Must admit Alice, I'm starting to see why they call you, the Evil Pixie."

"Oh shush and take me to your clothes."

Alice was shuffling through Grace's dresses when inspiration hit Grace. She grabbed the two items she needed and disappeared in to the bathroom. She adjusted the scalloped edged black lace slip to show a little less cleavage and slid in to her black pencil skirt. "Alice this is what I'm wearing with my black heels."

"Hello, sex kitten. I certainly can't compete with that cleavage."

"Rose will be showing her figure off too. Jasper is always going on about racks but most of the girls I've seen him with are much smaller than Rose and I. Go for sexy without being obvious, he likes to be intrigued. You have to pretend you never heard this, but he isn't a fan of Rose's fashion sense. You have a really nice collarbone and neck, expose them and show some leg."

"I have a red dress that might work."

"So what are you and Edward going to do tomorrow while Em and I are on our tour?"

"Have breakfast then I've got to get back to the studio to get some work done. I'll finish up in the late afternoon and come back here with my outfit for Saturday night."

"I can't wait to take, Em's tour."

"You are a geek, a lovable geek but still a geek."

"And you are a bossy pixie, a lovable one but still bossy."

Grace changed back in to her yellow lace dress and called Alice back to the living room. Alice came out holding the black tulle babydoll on its hanger. "Has my brother seen this?" Grace turned a delightful shade of pink that made Alice giggle.

"Yes, he's seen it. He thinks it's the most perfect outfit in the entire world. He almost had heart failure when he saw me in it. I bought the matching thong and bra too."

"But you didn't wear the bra underneath it did you?"

"No."

"Yeah, I can see why he said you were his perfect woman. Em has always been a big fan of lingerie. He use to grab the Victoria's Secret catalogue before my mom could look at it. She'd find it sitting on his desk in his room the next day. "

"Please don't tell me the pages were sticky, Alice."

Alice started laughing so hard it turned in to snorts, "No, Em has a very active imagination. It was Edward who had the Playboys and Penthouses under his bed. I never touched them because I was scared I might find sticky pages."

"I told him that James insisted that I wear sexy lingerie and Em said that he'd never dictate what I wore. I talked about my favourite pair of flannel PJ's and he said he couldn't wait to see me in them. I said I'd wear the black tulle once a week for him and he was very happy. James paid five hundred dollars for the babydoll and another two hundred thirty for the bra and thong. He paid for it all, so I always shopped Agent Provocateur. I think Emmett is secretly delighted that he benefits from James' obsession. He is going to lose his mind when he sees just how large my lingerie collection is."

"What about Jasper?"

"The last time I invited myself in to his townhouse a girl was making coffee wearing one of his shirts. She bitch faced me so I asked Jasp if he wanted me to make him breakfast. When he yelled out yes and told me he loved me she quickly went in to his room. She left five minutes later. Jasper is very laid back, I don't think he really cares what a girl wears to bed as long as she ends up in his bed."

"How long ago was this?"

"A month ago, he didn't bring a date to my wedding."

"Ah."

"When we were in college, he told me that I was his ideal woman. That he could find girls with my type of body easily but they never measured up personality and intelligence wise. I told him he should let me pre screen his dates but he never went for it. You have my seal of approval Alice, just try to be less bossy and don't pout. Pouty woman drive him nuts."

"Em is really good at pouting."

"I've noticed that, his face has such a child like quality to it that it's almost impossible to resist his pouts."

"Emmett is fairly neat for a guy. Mom made sure they both kept their rooms tidy, put the toilet seat down etc. He knows how a vacuum works and he actually likes to clean windows."

"I hate cleaning windows, I have maid service twice a week."

"I'm amazed my mom hasn't called to freak out yet. Knowing Em, he forgot to hit send. Where is his phone?" Alice got up and found the iPhone sitting on the bedside table. She brought it back to the couch and tried to get in it. "Damn he doesn't normally lock his phone."

"Umm Alice, I asked him to lock it. His new screen saver is a picture of me in the tulle babydoll."

Alice chuckled, "You naughty girl. I'm sure he promised not to show it off."

"Yes, he swore it was for his eyes only."

"Don't worry, he won't go show you off. He'll be tempted but he won't. Let's go outside so I can get him to give me access to his e-mail."

Emmett was floating on his back in the pool while Edward was reading on the lounge chair.

"Emmy Bear, are you sure you sent mom that e-mail? She should have called by now. I can't get past the lock on your phone to check."

"Yes, my phone is locked and I sent it at one our time which means it was 6 am for mom. Give her time to have her tea at work and open her e-mail."

"Since when do you lock your phone?" Edward asked.

"Since I have a screen saver I want to protect."

"Red bikini, Grace?" Edward inquired with a smirk.

"Nope, sheer black tulle," Grace replied with her own smirk.

Edward's jaw dropped, "A thousand bucks if you show me Bro."

"No can do, I promised Grace the pictures were for my eyes only."

"Pictures plural? You're killing me, Em."

Before Emmett could taunt his brother further, the phone started ringing in Alice's hand. Grace grabbed it and looked at Emmett. "Code is your sleeping carriage number." Grace punched it in protecting the phone from Alice's eager gaze. "Hello, Emmett's phone, Grace speaking."

"Oh...Esme Cullen, your future mother in law. Is my son there?"

"He's just getting out of the pool Mrs. Cullen."

"Call me Esme, Dear. You are very pretty."

"Thank you, here's Em."

"Emmett Cullen, what the hell were you thinking dropping a bomb like that in a brief e-mail?"

"I thought about Dad's schedule and asked Grace if she's mind me sending you a save the date e-mail. Grace wanted to meet you both in person first."

"It looks like Alice approves."

"Alice adores her, I have to compete with her to get Grace to myself."

"The picture of the two of you warms my heart Em. It's obvious you are both deeply in love with each other. I've never seen that look on your face before, Honey. Now tell me how you met."

Emmett wrapped a towel around his waist and walked inside for what was going to be a very long conversation. Alice grabbed his bottle of beer and finished it. "How about we go down to the spa and get a manicure?"

"I promised Rose I'd do spa stuff with her and I'm not a big spa fan to start with. I sort of want to curl up beside Em and listen to what he has to say to your mom."

"Fine desert me, I understand." Alice replied dramatically then pouted. Edward laughed when Grace walked away without even looking back. "Well now we can talk some more about your social life." Alice said with a grin making Edward groan.

Grace found Emmett laying diagonally across the bed listening to his mother. "Can I join you?" She whispered. Emmett moved up the bed giving her room to snuggle in to his side. Grace listened as Emmett told the story of how they met and then went on to tell her everything he knew about Grace. Alice entered the room and flopped down on the bed. She turned to lay on her stomach, propped her head up with her hands and gave Emmett her sad puppy dog face. He started to laugh. "I think someone is very upset that she hasn't had a chance to say hello to you."

Alice grabbed the phone off of her brother, "Hi Mom, Edward just threatened to drown me. What makes you think I was interfering in his life? Grace, yeah she's OK. Did Em tell you that she can resist the dimples? She smacked down Em and Ed earlier; Grace scares them. I understand why you can't be here for my birthday. No, I didn't get your gift yet. I'm staying at the hotel tonight and tomorrow night but I'll be at the studio right after breakfast tomorrow. I'll be expecting your call Tuesday, use my cell number. I love you too Mom, give Dad a kiss for me and have him give you one too. OK I will; Grace our mom wants to talk to you."

Alice handed the phone over to Grace, "Hello again Mrs...Esme, yes that picture of your three troublemakers was my idea. I thought you would appreciate it. I have a few great pictures of Emmett while we were on the Orient Express that I could send you. Em, get my camera out of my purse please and no, you do not get picture approval."

While Emmett talked to his mother, Grace downloaded and pulled up the pictures on her laptop and sent them to Esme. She also included a few pictures of the train. "Hey Alice, ask Edward if he wants to come see the pictures of the train." Alice came back alone, "He's no longer bitter about you, but he's still bitter about the train. I want to see them though."

Grace set up the pictures in a slide show and answered Alice's questions. Grace noticed that Alice paid attention to the picture of her sleeping carriage and made a mental note to get Emmett to change his phone password.

"Grace, is there anything to drink in here?"

"Water, anything else I can order in. What do you want?"

"I'm happy with a beer."

"Just one?"

"Order two, I'm sure one of my Bro's will drink it if I don't."

Grace left the living room and sat down on the bed to ask Emmett if he wanted one also. She got his order and then went outside to check on Edward sunscreen in hand. "Edward do you want a drink refill? She asked then squirted some sunscreen on his chest.

"Grace what the hell?"

"Two words Cullen: skin cancer. Now would you like another beer or not?"

"Sure, thanks."

"Anytime," Grace replied and squirted each foot with sunscreen. "Burnt feet hurt like a bitch."

"You are worse than the Pixie."

She giggled, "I'm taking that as a compliment."

Grace placed an order and requested that it arrived as soon as possible. Emmett was still on the phone when a six-pack and a large pitcher of lemonade arrived. She opened two beers and brought one out to Edward then gave Em his. The pitcher had given Alice an idea; she started sketching a design on the hotel stationary and then took a picture of it with Emmett's iPad. Ten minutes later she presented Grace with a full colour version of it. Grace loved it so she sketched a few different types of glasses and repeated the iPad process.

"Alice, now I'm really having a hard time picking out which glass style I like the most. I want them all and now I want a set for home too."

Alice laughed, "Here's the deal; I'll let Em pay for your office set and the second set will be my wedding gift to you. You can always switch out the glasses when the mood strikes. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Em wanted to buy me a piece of your jewelry but I'd prefer to have the pitcher set. Thank you."

"You are welcome, now give me a minute or two to e-mail these designs to myself. I'm going to save them on this just in case too."

"Cool, take a sip of your beer you've earned it." Grace poured herself a glass of lemonade and wandered back in to the bedroom. Emmett was ending his conversation with Esme and said good-bye for Grace.

"Holy cow, that was a two hour call! Mom loved the pictures you e-mailed her, she said she was going to print one and frame it. She also can't wait to meet you."

"How about you take me home to meet Esme the first weekend we get back? I still think it would be a better idea for you and me to go to our own homes from London. I think we can survive four and a half days apart. I'll book a flight to Chicago early Friday night."

"I'll consider it, you know I don't want to go a day without you."

"I know, my Love but you did have a life before me that needs to be taken care of. By the way; change your password on the phone right now; Ali knows what my carriage number was. The little imp, paid very close attention to it when I was showing her the pictures." Emmett groaned and quickly changed the password telling her that he'd share it when they were alone.

"Oh by the way, you are buying my pitcher set for the office instead of jewelry."

"Whatever, you know I really love how you look in that dress."

"You've told me."

"Will you wear it to Alice's birthday dinner?"

"I actually picked out something much sexier for Saturday. My lace slip as a top with my black pencil skirt."

"Mmmm sexy lady indeed but I'd prefer my beautiful spring flower. Ignore me, I'm trying to tell you what to wear and I said I wouldn't."

"Em, are you in caveman mode or do you..."

"I'm not going caveman on you; I just think you look angelic in this dress."

"Then I will happily wear it on Saturday for you."

Alice came in to the bedroom with her second beer in hand, "Eddie is right, you two are sickenly sweet."

"If this is a sickness I don't want to be cured," Grace replied with a grin before wrapping her arms around Emmett's neck and giving him a series of short sweet kisses.

Edward walked in to the suite and followed the voices in to the bedroom just in time to see Grace's last kiss. He cleared his throat and Grace turned her head to look at him. "Yes, Edward what can we do for you?"

"Is there more beer?"

"Yes, I got a six pack, the box is sitting on the dinning room table."

"Ali, you going to go swimming or what?"

"Yeah, I'll go change. Em can I use the master bathroom?"

"Sure. Grace you going to go in?"

"If everyone promises to not get my hair wet. I'll put it up with a clip but no splashing, no cannonballs, no dunking me!" Grace replied giving Emmett and Alice a pointed look.

"You called that one correctly," Edward commented.

Alice stuck her tongue out at him and went off to the bathroom to change. Grace had only brought two bikinis and while there was a little more material to the black one, she'd still be showing off most of the hickeys Emmett had given her. Alice left the bathroom in a cute, blue one piece with a virtually non-existent back. "Cute suit Ali, Jasper would approve."

"Thanks, did you change your mind? I promise I won't splash anyone."

"No, I was just daydreaming I'll go change now."

Alice headed outside and Grace changed into the black bikini. The marks on her hip were covered and half of the hickeys on her breasts were hidden but the marks on her thighs and stomach were very obvious. Emmett handed her a towel as he scanned her body, "Well Alice won't get the same show as Ed did but I'll have to remember your preference for skimpy bikinis before I mark you."

Grace kissed him and they went out to the pool. She climbed out of the pool forty minutes later and left the siblings alone to take a quick shower and get dressed again. She had to dry the hairs around her neck and decided to curl her hair then pulled it up in to a high ponytail. Grace was ready to go when a water logged Alice came inside. "Mind if I take a shower and get ready for dinner?"

"Go ahead but take a fast shower, Em will want to take one too."

"Edward went back to his room to get ready," Emmett announced as he entered the suite and left a soft kiss on Grace's neck. "You smell like apples again."

"I used my body cream after the shower. Alice is in there but I told her to hurry up."

"Do I smell like pool because if I don't I'll just get dressed."

"Em, you are such a guy! Yes I can smell chlorine on you. Alice hurry up, Em thinks he can skip a shower!" Grace yelled.

They were dining at the Cip Club. The casual yet elegant, restaurant was originally created for the two Palazzi of the Cipriani—the Vendramin and the Palazzetto—but it had built up such a reputation since its opening that Cipriani guests and Venetians all clamored to dine there.

Enjoying a unique panorama of St. Mark's Square, the Cip's Club has an inside dining room, seating 48, which was decorated with original artworks celebrating its peerless view. Outside, a spacious wooden terrace was decorated in the style of a private yacht deck and was truly one of the best dining venues in the world. The foursome were seated outside on the deck and ordered two bottles of wine. After studying the menu they all ordered.

For Hors d'oeuvres Grace and Emmett ordered fried soft shelled crabs on creamy white polenta. Alice ordered baby shrimps, with olive oil from Garda Lake and parsley, served with a crispy seasonal salad and Edward went with the fried and marinated sole with raisins, pine nuts, sweet onions in a white wine sauce and grilled croûtons of polenta.

For the next course Alice and Emmett went with the risotto with vegetables and wild hops, Venetian style. Grace ordered the flat spaghetti with clams, wedge shells, mussels and cherry tomato that she had had the other night and Edward had the artichoke and potatoes soup, served with Asiago cheese, au gratin. Grace and Emmett ordered the roasted fillet of sea bass with lemon and fennel once again as their main dish while Alice couldn't decide if she wanted it or the Cuttlefish Venetian style with fresh peas. Edward got so tired of her talking to herself that he ordered it and told her they could share each other's meal. They had a very enjoyable meal, declined dessert but ordered coffee and continued to chat until the waiter placed the bill on the table.

"The subtle way of telling us to move our asses." Emmett commented.

Alice hit him lightly in the arm and picked up the check, "How about we treat the boys tonight Grace?"

"Sure." The girls both pulled our credit cards and instructed the waiter to charge half the bill on each card. Emmett and Edward insisted on leaving the tip and they lingered for a few more minutes before Grace whispered in to Emmett's ear.

"Well today was fun and dinner was great but my girl has plans for me so night."

"Em! We don't even know when or where to meet them for dinner tomorrow."

"How about pizza Grace? There is a little family run place a few blocks away from the Piazza and I think they are open until nine. Do you know the place I mean, Em?"

"Yeah I know the place you mean. What time?"

"7:30."

Grace gave Alice and Edward a hug and hurried to catch up with Emmett who was on a mission to get back to their suite. "So what plans do you have for me, Gorgeous?"

"Change for bed and grab a box of chocolate."

Emmett got the chocolate first then changed out of his clothes in to his scrub pants. Grace had come in from the living room and was standing there ogling him.

"See something you like?" He asked with a huge smirk.

"Yes I do, but it's what I can't see that I love." Grace walked over to him and kissed his heart and temple, "The shell is hot but it's the man inside, that I will love forever. Now get into bed. I'll be out in a minute." She quickly changed in to his white dress shirt and only did up the middle button and slipped on a white thong. She grabbed her Kindle and sauntered in to the bedroom.

Emmett's jaw dropped when he saw her in his shirt. He was so busy looking at her thighs and the valley of her breasts that the Kindle in her hand didn't even register. "A white shirt has never looked so fucking good in the annals of time."

"Thanks you, Em but we really have to do something about your cursing."

"Are we forgetting how often you moan that word?" Emmett teased as she knelt between his legs. "In the throws I don't care, in normal conversation it really irritates me. It makes otherwise intelligent people sound crude and uneducated."

"I'll try, Gorgeous but I've been using swear words since I first learnt them."

"All I ask is that you try your very best."

"What's the Kindle for?"

"I want you to read to me, Em. I have a book of love poems on here."

"Grace..."

"Alice told me that you wouldn't read to me but I know you wouldn't deny me anything I desire."

"I need glasses to read, and I'm very self conscience about them."

"I'm sure that I'll find them very attractive on you."

"Ugh, all right you need to move so I can get out of bed to retrieve them."

Emmett came back a few minutes later with them in his large hands. He settled back in to bed and put the brown tortoise shell glasses on. Grace smiled, undid the button on the shirt and pushed the material back to display her breasts, "I'm ready for my private lesson Professor Cullen." She licked her lips and arched her back to entice him further.

Emmett chuckled, "Miss Hale do you seriously think I can concentrate on reading to you when you are so brazenly showing your body off?"

"Just a little incentive for you, Sir."

"You can thank me when class is over. Now sit criss cross apple sauce and cover yourself."

"Criss cross applesauce? Oh my God, Em you still remember that from Kindergarten?"

"Yes, now follow my instructions please Miss Hale or there is no hope of you passing this class."

Grace sat with her legs crossed and pulled the shirt over a bit. She was finding serious Emmett sexy as hell and all she wanted to do was jump him. She smiled coyly and batted her eyelashes to which he simple gave her a dismissive look. "Ah here we go, this poem is by Percy Shelley and is entitled Love's Philosophy

The fountains mingle with the river,

And the rivers with the ocean;

The winds of heaven mix forever,

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single;

All things by a law divine

In one another's being mingle;-

Why not I with thine?

See! The mountains kiss high heaven,

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister flower would be forgiven

If it disdained its brother;

And the sunlight clasps the earth,

And the moonbeams kiss the sea-

What are all these kisses worth,

If thou kiss not me?

Here is another one called A White Rose by John Boyle O'Reilly:

The red rose whispers of passion,

And the white rose breathes of love;

Oh the red rose is a falcon,

And the white rose is a dove.

But I send you a cream-white rosebud,

With a flush on its petal tips;

For the love that is purest and sweetest

Has a kiss of desire on the lips.

Before he could find another poem he felt her hands on the ties of his scrubs. He looked up and Grace was naked, kneeling between his legs, "I'll take this class again next semester, make love to me, Em."

"I won't flunk you, I'll be nice and give you an incomplete."

Grace laughed, "You are so sexy in those glasses, Em."

"You don't think I look like a dork?"

"No, I don't. Now let me put my Kindle, the chocolates and your glasses on the table while you get rid of those scrubs."

"Yes Ma'am!" Emmett answered with a goofy grin.


	13. Plastic Knife

It had taken Grace a little over two hours to bake then generously ice a three-tiered white cake with dark chocolate icing. The Cip's pastry chef offered to do the writing on top of the cake and then boxed it up with instructions to keep it in the pastry fridge until Edward Cullen picked it up on Saturday. She thanked him and left with a three quarter's full pastry bag with a leaf tip attached. Emmett was still asleep when she slipped in to the room at 8:45. He was on his back, sprawled across the entire bed, the sheet tucked under his strong arms. Grace kicked off her heels and went over to the side of the bed his head was at. She piped some icing on to his lips and was surprised that he didn't wake up. Grace knew what he'd want so she took off her top and bra and put them on top of the gilded chair near the window. She piped some icing on to his neck and started licking at it knowing it would wake him up.

Emmett thought he was dreaming for a few moments until he felt the tiny nip on his neck. He yawned then tasted it, darting his tongue out further he made quick work of the heavenly chocolate on his lips. He opened his eyes and fixed them on the side of Grace's left breast as she continued to work on his neck. "Mmm morning, Baby."

"Morning, I knew this would wake you up."

"Your frosting is wickedly delicious."

"Thank you, I have a piping bag three quarters full. I'll be your edible canvas if you promise to share with me too."

"Take those pants off."

"They are called Capri's and no. If I do that, I will never get my tour."

"You know me too well already!" Emmett laughed as he tried to figure out how he wanted her. He decided that the bed ran too much of a risk of getting chocolate on the expensive linen so he picked up her pillow and told her to follow him. Emmett placed the pillow on the table and asked her to lie down. Grace smirked and obliged him squirming slightly as he covered her entire left breast in rings of chocolate icing.

"I thought you'd go for double breasted asterisks first. Icing please."

Emmett swirled his finger around her breast and popped his finger in her mouth. Grace sucked it all off and asked for more. "Open your mouth." Grace opened her mouth and he squeezed icing straight on to her tongue. He trailed a dollop on her lower lip and kissed it off her before going back to her breast. "Chocolate frosted boobies: best thing ever!" He exclaimed as his tongue make quick work of another circle. Grace rolled her eyes at him, then chuckled thinking of Alice describing him as a Hulk sized child. "What's so amusing Miss Hale?" Emmett asked then went right back to licking.

Grace laughed again, "You, you are amusing. More chocolate please."

Emmett filled her mouth with icing again and finished off his last circle. "Hmm think I'm going to see how big a nipple I can make."

"Em, you might as well just squirt icing down you mouth because you are just going to eat it in one big suck anyway."

"You didn't mention I had a time limit."

"Sorry, I'm just really looking forward to our tour."

"Open," He demanded as he filled her mouth once again with chocolate icing before he did the same to himself. He had just enough icing left to make two circles around her nipple and he slowly let his tongue erase the chocolate. "I'm finished."

"Good, I'm going to go clean my chest and put my top back on. Get dressed please."

"Can I pick out your bra?"

"It's already done," She answered as he helped her off the table. A few minutes later she came out in to their room and put on a simple beige demi bra and a beige babydoll style top with tiny green leaves and blue flowers. Emmett was going to tease her about the lack of cleavage when she turned to get her purse and he fell in love with the silhouette. The material flowed around her waist disguising how small it was. He closed his eyes and could picture her wearing the top when she was pregnant. He walked up behind her and slid his hands around her resting them on her stomach. Emmett leaned in to her and left a soft kiss on her neck, "So beautiful, I can picture you with child wearing this top."

"With child? Em you never cease to amaze me. You go from being a goofy child to a man I know will make an excellent father."

"When is your visitor due again?"

"Visitor? Em, I call it my period and it's due in about two weeks. It usually lasts four or five days."

"So it's still a possibility that you can conceive."

"Yes we are in prime conception time."

"Edward thinks we are utterly insane and not normal wanting to get pregnant so quickly."

"I don't care what your brother thinks and we aren't normal. You and I are one of a kind, Baby."

"That's pretty much what I told him. Are you ready for your tour? Got your camera all charged with a new memory chip in it?"

"In my purse, shall we?"

"We shall. I planned this tour out in my head yesterday when I was floating in the pool. There will be a slight deviation half an hour in because I will need more substance than your brilliant chocolate frosting."

"Sorry, I should have thought to order you breakfast. They let me eat a couple of chocolate croissants while I was baking."

"Don't worry about it, Let's go."

The boat docked at the Piazza San Marco and after helping Grace and her nude Louboutins off the boat; he took her hand and directed her towards the Palazzo Ducale. The grand Palazzo had been built and rebuilt several times from the seventh to eighteenth centuries. Emmett pointed out several examples of different centuries of architecture and explained a little bit about each before ushering her inside. In the vast Sala del Maggior Consiglio he told her to ignore the portraits and study the ceiling painting depicting Paradise by Jacopo and Domenico Tintoretto. They moved on to the Sala dello Scudo that housed the globes and maps that kept track of the trade routes of Marco Polo. The globes fascinated Grace until she heard Emmett's stomach rumble.

"You getting hungry Em? I could eat myself."

"Sure, lets get something to nosh on and then we'll visit the Byzantine extravaganza: the Basilica di San Marco."

Emmett guided Grace through several narrow streets until he arrived at a small cafe. He ordered a pressed panini style sandwich while Grace went for a salad of fresh tomatoes and bocconcini drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette served with thin slices of bread. Emmett offered her a bite of his sandwich hoping she'd reciprocate because he wanted a few of her bocconcini. When she simply said, "No thanks" and went back to her salad he sighed. Grace looked up at him and wanted to laugh. His head was tilted which usually meant he wanted something and she knew what it was. "Em, what can I do for you?"

"May I have some of your bocconcini please?"

She remembered that he ate Alice's entire container of the small egg shaped cheese, "You can have two and a few wedges of tomatoes."

He watched her cut one of the eggs in half, add tomatoes and use the bread slices to make an open faced sandwich. He speared a bocconcini with his fork and ate it in one bite.

"Em, why don't you just ask for an order of cheese?" Grace suggested moments before their waitress came by to check on them.

Five minutes later, a bowl of the little egg shaped cheese sat in the middle of the table. He fed Grace three of them dragging them in the balsamic vinaigrette that pooled in her now empty salad bowl. After lunch they shared a sour cherry gelato then headed back out on their tour.

Grace and Emmett stood in the middle of the Piazza San Marco and had a fellow tourist take a picture of the two of them. Emmett walked over to the front of the line for entrance to the Basilica di San Marco and gave the tour guide a card. He came back to Grace with two entrance tickets.

"Em?"

"The concierge arranged admission for us."

Emmett pointed out the many domes on the roof of St. Mark's, which characterized it as Byzantine, bringing a bit of the East over to the West at a time when Venice was a major port and therefore a crossroads between the two worlds. As if to emphasize the city's position as an important stop on the trade routes, the front of the Basilica was decorated with miss-matched columns, which were all stolen from elsewhere and brought back to Venice as trophies. He brought her closer to the Basilica and pointed out the four Tetrarchs, depicting Byzantine emperors and told her that some people claim that they were actually infidels turned to stone while pilfering church treasures. In the Atrium, Grace spent a great deal of time examining the mosaics that helped the illiterate masses to understand biblical teachings. They went up to the galleria for a close up look at the atriums ceiling mosaics and the view of the piazza from the loggia. Emmett knew Grace would want to see the 1.5 square miles of colorful glass tile mosaics that sparkled and dazzled with rich renditions of an ascending Christ, saints, the apostles and other religious rank and file in the Museo Marciano. Byzantine goldsmiths fashioned the Pala d'Oro (Golden Altar), St. Mark's final resting place in the tenth century. They spent two and a half hours inside until Emmett told her it was time to move on.

A little after six, Emmett mentioned that they'd have to go if she wanted to shower and change before dinner. Grace smiled at him, "I'm good if you are; show me something else, my love."

"How about we watch the sunset?"

"Sounds very romantic to me."

He led her through the Piazza, pointing out where they would be dinning and brought her to a low wall where they could sit and have an unobstructed view of the setting sun. They sat on the wall talking and kissing waiting for sunset. Afterwards, Grace started rubbing his back. Emmett jumped of the wall and stood in front of her, "Gorgeous, would you give me a shoulder massage?"

"Sure, " Grace replied and wondered why his shoulders were so tense, "Em, your shoulders are like the rock of Gibraltar what is bothering you?"

"Nothing."

"Don't nothing me, Mr. Cullen."

"I guess I'm nervous about meeting your siblings tomorrow."

"Em, ignore Rose; I always do and Jasper won't be a problem. Especially if, the Pixie gets her hands on him. She's crushing hard."

"I told, Ed he should hook up with Rose."

"Yeah, I don't see that going very well. She's a very judgmental and aloof when she first meets someone."

"Oh, remind me to warn him tonight then."

"So how good is this pizza?"

"Very good, thin crust and simple toppings. My favourite is the four cheese blend with fresh basil."

"Do they have any pesto based sauces?"

"Yes they do."

"Intriguing, shall we make our way over there?"

"We shall, did I bore you today?"

"Are you kidding? I loved every minute of today. In fact, I hope we can sneak some more in before we have to leave. Thank you so much, Em."

"You are very welcome, Grace." Emmett responded with a huge grin before pulling her in to his arms for a long kiss. Grace smiled at him as he took her hand and they started to walk back to the restaurant.

"I'll have to ask Jasper and Rose which mass they prefer to go to on Sunday. I'm thinking noon but there was also a 5:30 mass. What is your preference?"

"The Cullen's are lapse Catholics, Grace. I go maybe five times a year, mom might go once a month and Ed and Alice I only know they go at Thanksgiving."

"Em, I go weekly unless I'm sick or something is planned and I can't make a mass. I usually go Saturday at 4:30 so I can sleep in Sunday. I can't force you to go but it would make me happy if you joined me. What about your Dad?"

"He's not Catholic, he's a non practicing Anglican."

"Oh."

Emmett could tell Grace was trying to be neutral and nonjudgmental but he knew she was still judging his father and entire family. "He's a doctor Grace, he's a good person, just not in to organized religion. His great Grandfather was an Anglican minister. My Grandfather was raised so strictly that he left Tennessee once he was married and never came back. He'd write to his mom but that was it."

"Oh, that's sad. Is he still living?"

"No, he died when I was 15 and Granny died the following year. Mom's parents are still living. Grandpa is 79 and Gran is 76. They live in Providence."

"Is that where your mom was raised?"

"Yes, she met my dad at a bar. He was in Med school at Harvard and she was at BU doing an Art History degree."

"Wow, we didn't meet at the pub but our destiny began there."

"Yeah, I'll go to mass with you but I can't promise you that I'll go weekly."

"I'll take what I can get. I think we should go skinny dipping tonight after we ditch your siblings."

"I'm all in favor of that plan. Speaking of siblings, look straight ahead."

Grace noticed Edward first but Alice made her laugh as she was waving like a maniac at her, "I hope Edward hasn't been feeding her sugar."

Emmett laughed hard, "He knows better, believe me he doesn't want to deal with a jacked up Alice. You better warn Jasper not to give her sugar."

Alice was running towards them, "Grace! I'm so glad you survived. I was sure, Bear was going to bore you to death and I'd lose my favorite sister in law."

"Alice, I loved my tour and I better be your favorite sister in law since I'm going to be your only one."

"Thanks a lot for the vote of confidence Grace," Edward huffed.

"I didn't mean it that way Edward," Grace apologized.

"Oh by the way Ed, ignore the suggestion I made about Rose. Apparently Rose is not very enchanting like her sister on a first date."

"Em, I ignore most of the crap that comes out of your mouth as a general rule."

"Ha, that's so funny. Grace, Edward is teasing me."

"Edward, stop teasing him. Em, stop being a baby. I can smell pizza and I'm hungry."

Grace couldn't decide which pizza she wanted so Edward and Emmett ordered large pizzas to share with her. "Em, don't kill me but this beats Chicago deep dish."

"I agree with you, Gorgeous. We should bring Jasper and Rose for dinner on Sunday. Wait until you taste the pizza in Milan. I let Alice drag me around all morning shopping to eat pizza for lunch."

"Emmett is fun to take shopping, he can carry so many bags; he's better than a pack mule."

"Thanks, Ali for such a wonderful compliment," Emmett replied drolly.

"Anytime Em," Alice giggled. "So do you two have plans?"

"Yes, we have very good plans." Emmett replied quickly.

"Alice, we can hang out at the bar at the hotel or watch a movie since you have to get up so early to go with Grace to pick up her brother and sister." Edward offered.

"It's nice to know one of my brothers loves me."

"Give me a break! Pixie, I'll give you Love Bug attention like I did when you were five."

"Just kidding Em." Alice said nervously. She did not want him continually rotating her to kiss her belly button and nose over and over again.

Emmett smirked at the slightly freaked out look on his sister's face. "Do you guys want to take the boat back with us? It should be at the dock in fifteen minutes."

Grace kissed Edward's cheek and gave Alice a hug as they stood on the end of the dock. Emmett affectionately ruffled his sister's hair and fist bumped his brother before wrapping his arm around Grace and leading her to their private entrance.

"Em, let's strip in our room, we need towels and I have to answer the call of nature. Do not even think of jokingly saying pools are made for peeing."

Emmett tried not to grin at her, "But pool sex is OK right?"

"If it was our own pool and we had to clean it yes. This isn't our own pool, my siblings will probably be in it tomorrow as will yours."

"So then what's the point of being naked in the pool?" Emmett inquired with a pout.

"I thought you wanted to play with my wet boobs?"

"DUH, but that was going to be foreplay."

"So we can use the towels and have lounge chair sex instead," Grace answered with sexy smirk.

"Emmett happy again."

Grace giggled, "Caveman Em makes me smile."

Emmett stopped and grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder and swatting her ass lightly. "Naughty, Grace makes me smile."

"Put me down you big oaf!" Grace protested weakly. Emmett just grunted and slapped her behind again then dropped her on the bed. She got up right away and surprised him by slapping his ass hard before going in to the stunning marble bathroom. Grace came out of the bathroom a few minutes later naked holding three towels in one hand and her clothes in the other.

"Until my dying day I will never get tired of this look." Emmett commented staring at Grace in nothing but her nude high heels.

She smiled at him then he noticed a look flash across her face. "Baby?" Grace shook her head quickly and plastered a smile on. He knew something was wrong and he was positive it had something to do with James. Emmett was going to beat the crap out of him when he got to Boston. "Sit in my lap and tell me what's wrong, Gorgeous."

"Nothing," Grace sighed.

"Do not, nothing me, Miss Hale. Something upset you and I want to know what it was."

Grace sat down in his lap and looked at the headboard. Emmett wrapped his arms around her and left a very soft kiss on her neck then whispered, "I love you." She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed deeply before speaking, "I flashed back to a moment maybe seven months ago. James would call me every few weeks and tell me to take everything but my heels off and wait for him. He never cared where I was he just wanted me to do it. The few times I didn't he'd yell at me and take off and not come home for a few days. So I'd sit in my own office naked waiting for him to show up so he could bend me over my desk and fuck me hard until he got off. Fifteen minutes later, he'd be gone. Anyway, he called me one night at home and demanded that I'd be waiting for him naked with these shoes on. An hour later, I heard the key in the door and hurried out in to the living room. He walked in with four guys from work. I was so stunned I just stood there. I was close to the couch, he came over and pushed me down over it, spread my legs and fucked me from behind while his friends watched. He got off pretty fast, told the guys that I did as I was told and asked if any of them wanted a blowjob. I must have looked petrified because the guys all said no very quickly. James told me they were going to a bar to watch the game and I better be waiting naked in bed for him when he got home."

"I'm going to fucking kill him Grace. The bastard abused you; he emotionally battered you for four years. I'm sure you never told Jasper about this."

"Are you kidding? He would have broken his neck with one twist and been in jail."

One twist? I'm going to tie him up and cut off his dick with a plastic knife, Emmett thought, "Grace, when we get back to Boston you need to see a therapist. I'll wait for you in the waiting room for every session or you can sit in my lap just like this but you need professional help. You have to tell someone everything that fucking prick did to you."

"Can't I just tell you? I'm so fucking ashamed that I let him do this to me. I run a multi million-dollar business and I let him fuck me in front of an audience. I dismissed it from my mind until right now. Part of me must have liked the idea because I didn't fight him off."

"Grace, the bastard would have beaten the crap out of you, if you dared to say no in front of his friends and fucked you anyway. I've heard woman even more successful than you tell Oprah and other talk show hosts that in their private life they were abused for years.

He tried to break you Grace and I don't know how you managed it but you came away with just a few chips. You can tell me everything first if you want but you still need to see someone. I love you too much, Gorgeous to let him haunt you."

"Thank you for loving me even though I'm a damaged good." Grace whispered as tears streamed down her face.

"Grace you are not a damaged good. You are a brilliant, kind, caring, exciting, beautiful woman. I'm still astounded that you love a big oaf like me. If you think of yourself as a damaged good doesn't that tell you that you need some help that I can't give you?"

"I guess," she sniffled.

Emmett ran his thumb across her face getting rid of the remaining tears, "What do you want to do now?"

" I want to eat too much chocolate and fall asleep in your arms."

"Sounds good as long as you share the chocolate with me."

"I'll always share my chocolate with you."

"I Emmett Cullen promise to love, honor, cherish and share my chocolate with you, through sickness and health…."

Grace smiled at Emmett's wedding vow and turned her body in his arms to stop him with a kiss. "What you don't like my vow?"

"I love your vow, I just needed to kiss you more."

Twenty minutes later, Grace got up to get several boxes of chocolate and put her shoes away. Emmett was standing up taking his pants off. She ran her free hand along his muscular back and ducked under his arms when he lifted them. She put the chocolate boxes near her pillow and stood on the bed bringing his face level with her breasts. Emmett smiled, placed a gentle kiss on each nipple and planted his large hands on each butt cheek and gave them a squeeze. "I thought you wanted chocolate and sleep?"

"I do."

"Then why are you making me so damn hard?"

"I wanted to see if it was possible to enjoy chocolate and sex at the same time."

"Grace one if not both of us is going to end up rolling over a few chocolates and the maid will be horrified."

"Why would she be horri…..oh didn't think of that."

"I was eating Brookside Blueberries in bed one night and fell asleep. I had to wash the sheet four times to get the dark brown stains out."

"Have I mentioned I love the fact that you are a domesticated man? You can clean our windows anytime."

"Alice has such a big mouth. I don't do dishes."

"Neither do I. I have a heavy-duty dishwasher so I don't even have to rinse the plates first. I have a cleaning lady too."

"Does that mean I won't get to see you in a French maid's outfit?"

"I'll buy one just for you."

"So do you want chocolates or sex?" Emmett asked before sweeping his tongue across each nipple.

Grace moaned, "I want to be your playground."

Emmett worshipped her body for almost two hours as she carefully popped chocolate in to both of their mouths. He made a point of telling her how much he loved her several times and treated her like the precious treasure she was to him. When the chocolate was gone and she was quietly snoring he started thinking about how to ruin James' life. He came to the conclusion that he'd need Jasper's help.


	14. Midget, Bimbo, Munchkin and itch

Grace woke up a little past five and was immediately slammed with a migraine headache. Her head felt like hundreds of tiny construction workers were jack hammering her brain and her aura of big polka dots were cutting off her vision. She had no idea where she was poking Emmett. Grace couldn't scream because it would only hurt her head more so she used her elbow. Emmett groaned, "Grace what the hell?"

"Sorry, I've got a migraine and I need my pills but I can't see properly. Can you get the vial of pills out of my purse? It's the aqua semi circle. I also need you to untie all the curtains so it's dark in here when the sun rises. You'll also have to go meet Jasper and Rose without me."

"What?" Emmett screeched

"Shush, the pills should make me feel better by noon if you get me them now."

"How am I going to find them without you? Hi I'm your sister's fiancé that you know nothing about but follow me."

"Alice will be able to spot Jasper from a mile away. Just tell them that I have a migraine and that I caught it mid cycle so I should be OK around 12:30."

Emmett handed her a glass of water and easily found the teal green pill amidst the white Tylenols and red Advils, "Gorgeous, you only have three more of these pills in here."

Grace swallowed the pill and asked him to help her get to the bathroom. Emmett stood looking at his teeth in the mirror wondering why there was always stress in his life. He was anxious enough about meeting his soon to be in-laws with Grace by his side, now he'd have to face them with a lust filled pixie. He knew Alice would charm Jasper in a minute and then he'd be left alone to deal with Rose. "It's not very nice of you to leave me with a woman whose nickname is Thorn."

Grace chuckled then held her head, "Ouch, sorry Em, I swear I'm not doing this on purpose. Believe me I hate migraines."

"I know, I get a couple of them a year. My pill is a tiny white one though. You ready to go back to bed?"

He heard the flush and Grace moved sideways to check his hip. She washed her hands then turned to get a towel. "Damn, Em I can't see right in front of me…"

"Here you go," Emmett said as he handed her the towel, then picked her up and placed her delicately back in bed. He crawled in next to her and stroked her hair and back until she was asleep again.

His mind was going a million miles a minute so he got up and closed all the curtains, went in to the living room to cancel the wake up call and picked up Grace's phone. In less than a minute, he was flicking through the Rose file, then the Jasper file. His curiosity kicked in and he started to look at all the files in her gallery. He was looking for a picture of James but all he found were work related pictures and a few pictures from the Orient Express. He rolled his eyes when he discovered a picture of him in profile in the bar car ordering drinks. She'd also taken a picture of his face without him noticing. He put her phone back where he found it and ordered an early breakfast asking for it to be served poolside. He put on his bathing suit, grabbed a towel and went out to the pool. He was hoping laps would get rid of most of his nervous energy.

He had just finished eating when he heard the click of heels and knew his sister was on her way. Emmett sprung out of the chair to meet her. "Ali, Grace has a migraine so we are picking Rose and Jasper up ourselves. Grace assured me that you'd be able to spot Jasper a mile away."

"The second they arrive at the pier I'll see Jasper and Rose will be the busty blond with him."

"I'm going to go take a fast shower and get dressed. You are a little dressed up for airport duty but you look great sis."

"Thanks, you brought me this last year," Alice said of the white cotton lace strapless dress with a navy tie at the waist. It was short but on her it fell just an inch above her knees.

Alice followed her brother in, taking her shoes off so she wouldn't make any noise on the marble floors. She used the guest bathroom and then quietly checked on Grace who was snoring away in the dark. She went back in to the living room to wait for Emmett who came out in jeans and a blue polo shirt that set off his eyes. "Hate to admit it but both my brothers are good looking."

"Tink, you are going to have Jasper eating out of your hand by dinner tonight."

"Jasper is going to be my best birthday present ever!"

"Ali, try to remember that he's Grace's beloved brother not your boy toy."

"He won't be my boy toy, he'll be my husband," Alice mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing, just telling you he won't be my boy toy."

"We better leave now, Alice."

When they got to the dock he swept his sister up in his arms and put her down on the boat deck. She was wearing six inch navy heels. Grace was light but picking up Alice required no effort at all. Both Alice and Emmett were yawning as the boat took them on the nearly forty minute long trip to the pier. The boat arrived ten minutes after the flight was scheduled to land. Emmett carried his sister off the boat as she told him she was capable of climbing in her shoes and that she had ran in them several times and lived to tell the tale. He ignored her, paying attention to the butterflies that were at war in his stomach.

"Em, I think every fiber of your being is stiff. Relax; the worst thing that can happen is they refuse to talk to us. Does Emmy Bear want a treat?" Alice pulled out a bag of cashews from her purse and put them in his hands. Emmett looked down, opened the bag and started eating several at a time until he had finished them all. Alice was about to make a comment when she spotted Jasper and stumbled. "Shit, he's more delectable in person than in pictures."

"Huh?" Emmett mumbled.

Alice ignored him, put a sexy smile on her face and strutted over in to their path. She waited for them to be in hearing range then called out Jasper's name a few times. She could see him looking around but his eyes had not met hers so she called out his name again and started waving.

"I think that midget in white is the one calling you. " Rose sighed wondering why the hell she didn't see her sister.

Jasper started at her high navy heels and let his eyes roam her body until his eyes met hers. She was definitely not his type but he felt drawn to her. She licked her lips then smiled at him and Jasper found himself picking up his pace. He felt like a fish being reeled in and didn't care. When Jasper was standing in front of her she asked him to bend and planted a kiss on each cheek, "Welcome to Venice, Jasper."

He wondered if she felt the electrical charge around them, "Thank you, Beautiful. Where is my sister?"

"Grace woke up early this morning with a migraine. She asked Emmett to come meet you both and I tagged along to meet you. I'm Alice Cullen and this is my brother Emmett. He's your sister's boyfriend. Well he's more than that but I'm sure Grace would want to tell you the rest herself."

"Can you get us out of here, Midget?" Rose asked as she studied Emmett.

"My name is Alice, Bimbo." Alice huffed.

"Rose behave, these people have come to make sure we get to our hotel. It was very nice of them and I don't care how tired or bored you are, it is mean to call Alice a midget."

"Thank you, Jasper."

"If you'll all follow me, our boat is waiting." Emmett added giving, Rose the once over before dismissing her. He understood why Jasper was not a fan of his sister's clothing choices. She was wearing a skin tight blue bandage dress with half her cleavage spilling out the top of the dress with it's convenient x cutouts and six inch heels. Jasper had on jeans, a pair of Docs and a light blue, V neck T under a white cotton shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Jasper did seem to exude a certain calmness and practicality Emmett thought as he swung Alice up in his arms and placed her standing in the boat. The captain took the luggage that Emmett and Jasper were handing down to him and secured it. Alice took Rose's Louis Vuitton makeup case from Em and toyed with the idea of accidentally dropping it overboard but she couldn't ruin such an iconic piece of luggage.

"Rose, its safer if you take your heels off to get on the boat or let me carry you on board. You can't weigh more than Grace," Emmett offered.

"I'll be fine."

Jasper used Emmett's hand as he boarded the boat and then stood beside the stairs with his hand raised for his sister, "Take both of our hands Rose, it doesn't look like it but the boat is moving."

"I have excellent balance!" Rose huffed and stepped down just as a water taxi left causing the boat to shift in its wake. Emmett lunged forward and grabbed her waist from behind as Jasper got in front of the stairs to prevent her from doing a face plant on deck. Rose was so startled, Emmett was able to pick her up and hand her down to her brother before he quickly got on board.

"Rose, if it wasn't for our brothers you'd have a broken nose. Please listen to Emmett when he asks you to do something. I've lived here for eight years and Em visits often. He might get annoying sometimes but he anticipates safety issues like no one else."

"Thank you boys." Rose mumbled.

"You're welcome," they replied in unison.

"The trip back to the hotel should take forty minutes, you might want to get your cameras out," Alice stated as she looked in to Jasper's warm light brown eyes. She sat down at the back of the boat, kicked her heels off and tucked her legs underneath her. Jasper sat down beside her a minute later, "Grace sits like that too."

"I've noticed, we've become very close. Too bad she got all the personality, leaving Rose with nothing."

Jasper laughed, "Rose rarely makes a good first impression. Today she was worse than normal. Grace and I tend to just ignore her until she acts more civilized. Believe it or not she is actually a very loyal and loving sister."

"I believe you Jasper even though loving does not sound like a word to describe her. Grace on the other hand is a pure delight. It took me two minutes to fall in love with her, she's the sister I never had."

"Grace is easy to fall in love with but boy does she ever have a temper. With Rose you expect it, Grace, well you never want to be on her bad side."

"Yes she dealt with Emmett and Edward acting childish and they both were scared of her."

"I can count on one hand the number of times she's truly been furious with me," Jasper moved closer to Alice no longer caring about photo opportunities, "So tell me about yourself Alice. What do you do?"

Alice moved her hand to rest on his thigh and started to tell him about her studio, being a Murano glass artisan and how much she loved living on Murano. Jasper found her fascinating and couldn't get over how much energy she had. She was 360 degrees from his type but he was waiting to get a word in edgewise to ask her out. Alice finally had to take a breath and he smiled at her. He grabbed the hand that was flying all over as she talked to still her. Alice felt his calming influence sweep over her body and smiled back at him shyly, "Sorry, Jasper but I'm a chatterbox, just tell me to shut up or you'll never be able to speak."

Jasper lifted her hand, kissed a knuckle and placed their hands over his heart, "Alice would you have dinner with me tonight?"

"I'd love to Jasper but you are already having dinner with me. We are celebrating my birthday tonight and you and Rose are invited."

"What am I invited to?" Rose asked as she heard her name coming out of the Midget's mouth.

"Grace, my other brother Edward and I planned a dinner then night of dancing for Ali. The restaurant is one of the best in the area and the dance club is lame compared to Boston or any major US city but it's the best in Venice."

"Saturday is the only night they play decent music." Alice added while she continued to look in Jasper's eyes.

"Define decent?" Rose asked rolling her eyes at the shut up look her brother was giving her.

"The good stuff from the 50's and 60's, the 80's and some 90's and more recent dance music."

"Can I drink there?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't care how lame this place is."

"What my sister is trying to say is that she is honored to be a part of your birthday celebrations, right Rosie?"

"Yeah, eating alone would suck."

"My mom is an interior designer too Rose." Emmett stated trying to start a conversation with the frosty Thorn.

"That's nice." Rose said and looked out at the lagoon.

Emmett looked over at his sister who was mouthing 'bitch' the same time Jasper was mouthing 'sorry'; he laughed and sat down beside Alice on the backbench.

"So what do you do for a living Emmett?" Jasper asked.

"He's an architect, the C in ACE out of Chicago," Alice answered.

"ACE? We've worked with your firm before. I did the model homes and Grace did the exterior for the entire development," Rose piped up.

"So Grace has told me. The entire project was my design."

"Grace still has the landscaping contract. Tim actually called this week to see if we'd be interested in doing a development in Lake Forest. I told him that Grace was away and I was headed for vacation too. He said his partner was in Europe."

"That would be me. I designed the community and three of the eight homes. When did he contact you?"

"Thursday."

"This was after I told them about falling in love with Grace and moving to Boston. Grace has me working out of the little conference room beside her."

"We have a bigger conference room on my side of the floor. Grace uses her's more as a staging area. She sprawls when she works."

Alice could tell by the look on Em's face that he was thinking about Grace sprawled naked on the table and she elbowed him. He shook his head and offered Rose his seat, which she took.

"So you love my sister?" Jasper inquired.

"I love her more than mere words can express, Jasper. We both want to be married and raise three children together. Alice is making her engagement ring and wedding bands for both of us."

"It's a surprise though so pretend you didn't just hear that." Alice added.

"Since Grace won't be functioning for several hours, I thought you could maybe take a nap and meet us at our suite for lunch. We booked you both in to a pool view junior suite."

"A nap sounds like a good idea, what time is lunch?" Rose asked.

"One. The Concierge will escort you over."

"I'm going to try to go with the flow, we have a pool view so I think I'm going to swim and maybe get a snack."

"Jasper, why don't you use Grace and Emmett's Pool? We can order snacks and drinks to be delivered. They have a Jacuzzi too. I'll go with you to your room and wait for you to change. Then you can follow me to my room. I've got the code to get in to the private gate."

"How the hell did you get that Ali?"

"Grace gave it to me yesterday."

"Why am I not surprised?" Emmett sighed.

"You know she loves me more than you." Alice teased.

"Tink, Do you want to go for a swim right now?" Emmett teased back, picking her up easily.

"Put me down you big oaf or I'll sick Grace on you."

"Grace doesn't scare me." Emmett laughed evilly as he swung her towards the side of the boat.

"Em! I give up. Put me down now!"

Emmett plopped her down beside Jasper and stepped away quickly. Alice was known to kick shins to show her displeasure with one of her brothers.

"You are an overgrown ten year old you …you… cave dweller!"

"Grace likes Caveman Emmett."

"I'm sure she does, my sister is a bit of a freak," Jasper laughed.

"The two of you are freaks. I'm the only sane Hale off- spring."

"How far up your ass does that stick go Rose?" Alice asked with a take that look.

"Emmett you should have tossed, the Munchkin overboard."

"Thorn how many bitch pills did you take on the plane?" Jasper asked.

"Sure, come to a munchkins defense over your own sister. You'll do back flips for Grace…"

"Grace isn't prone to being a thorny bitch and she appreciates me. You once again got yourself in to first class and left me in coach. Grace would never do that to me."

"It's not my fault Her Serene Highness won't use her body to get what she wants."

"Rose you're wrong. No offence, Jasper but your sister totally uses her body to get what she wants."

"Grace knows the difference between subtle and classy versus slutty and obvious." Alice hissed.

"Whoa girls neutral corners. Alice talk to Jasper, Rose tell me what Tim said again."

"So how did you meet Grace?" Rose asked instead.

"Our eyes met across a crowded pub but we didn't have a chance to talk. The next morning I saw her in the café in Victoria Station and realized she was traveling on the Orient Express. I knew she like chocolate from seeing her at the pub so I bought some dark chocolate bars and a chocolate muffin. I asked if the chair was empty, sat down and offered her some of my muffin. We've been virtually inseparable since. Didn't take either of us very long to figure out we were soul mates."

"Sounds like the plot for a Harlequin romance."

"Nah, we're the real deal. If you insist we would be a best seller."

"A blind person couldn't miss how deeply in love they are when you see them together."

"So you believe in instant chemistry Alice?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, I also believe in love at first sight: that pull, the electricity in the air when you are near, the need to make physical contact with each other."

Jasper looked down to see their still joined hands now resting on her thigh. He'd already felt the pull and electricity. He studied Alice's smiling face, her brown eyes looking into his and he felt like she could see right in to his soul, to his very being. There was no way he could deny that there was already a deep connection between them. He looked up and Emmett flashed him a smug, you're hers now grin. Damn, I haven't committed to a girl in almost 35 years and it happens in half an hour. What the fuck is in the air in Italy?

"So does tonight require a suit?" Jasper asked.

"No, you are fine as you are. I bring my jacket only to put around Grace if needed. It drops down to the mid sixties at night."

"I'm wearing a red dress, so don't wear a red shirt. I don't do matchy, matchy like Em and Grace."

"If I hadn't sent it to be dry cleaned I'd wear my yellow shirt tonight just to annoy you, Pixie."

Alice stuck her tongue out at her brother and returned her attention back to Jasper.

"That's mature, what birthday are you celebrating Alice, your twelfth?"

"For fucks sake, Rose, shut the hell up!" Jasper yelled.

Emmett walked over to the captain, "How much longer and can you go any faster?"

"Fifteen minutes and I'm afraid I'm going as fast as I can."

"Thanks anyway." Emmett muttered and crooked his finger at Alice who sighed and joined him at the front of the boat.

"Bear, I swear I'm…"

"I know Ali, but it's obvious that you are going to have to be the better woman. Jasper has had it with her and believe me Grace will be getting an earful about her sister's behaviour from him. Just totally ignore her for the next fifteen minutes."

"I'm only doing this because I love you and Grace so much. Otherwise, she'd be bleeding profusely."

"Thank you, Alley Cat. You can go back to your willing captive."

"You think? Already?"

"Yup, he's yours."

Alice gave her brother a Cheshire cat grin and hug then went back to sit beside Jasper. Emmett stayed up near the captain figuring that Rose deserved to be ostracized. He loved Grace but he was not going to let her sister trash Alice. Emmett also knew that Grace would rip her sister a new one. He turned around five minutes later and Alice was standing against the boat, Jasper behind her bent over so he could hear her and follow her finger as she was pointing sites out to him. Even in her heels, Jasper was a foot taller than her. He breathed a sigh of relief when he could see the Cipriani's main dock.

As soon as they docked, Alice took off her heels and scrambled off the boat. Jasper watched as she slid them back on. Her toenails were painted a sparkly red that suited the feminine spitfire that had him utterly enchanted. He smiled at her and hefted his two pieces of rolling luggage on to the dock. Jasper chuckled when she offered to pull one of them for him. The look she gave him had him handing a suitcase over in five seconds. Emmett helped the captain put all five pieces of Rosalie's luggage on the dock, grabbed one and headed to the front desk leaving her to deal with the other pieces. When she hadn't arrived at the front desk five minutes later Emmett asked a bell boy to go out and help the ill mannered blond at the dock.

"Dude, I was prepared to leave her there all day. You're a better man than I."

"Nah, I just don't want to risk Grace giving me shit. Your sister is scary when upset."

Jasper had just been handed three card keys after signing for the room when Rose stormed in the lobby. "Thanks for leaving me out there you idiot."

"Hey don't thank me, you'd still be out there if it wasn't for Emmett. You know the guy whose sister you've been insulting for the last hour?" Jasper tossed a card key at her, "Room 152, have fun getting there."

Emmett chuckled at the Concierge desk and told him to not go out of his way to help her but unfortunately she would need to be escorted to the Palladio Suite around one. He handed the bellboy twenty Euros and walked away wondering how long it would take Rose to pick the card key off the floor given her skirt was skintight.

Once he was back at the suite Emmett checked on Grace who was still in a deep sleep. He took a few pills for the tension headache Rose had given him and ordered a couple of platters of cheese, meat and rolls for do it yourself sandwiches and a case of beer. He inquired about lunch and was told Grace had taken care of it the day before.

With Alice's help, Jasper unpacked in five minutes and went to change in to his bathing suit. He grabbed a towel and shoved his feet in a pair of black flip-flops. He took a bag out of the suitcase Alice had pulled and smiled at her. "On to your room, Alley Cat."

"You know until now I only let Em, call me that but you have permission too, Jazz."

"Never been called Jazz before but if you like it, go right ahead."

As they were leaving Rose was storming up the hall. She asked Jasper to hold the door and he let it shut. She stood at the door with her jaw dropped trying to think of what she wanted to call her brother. Alice grabbed the card key out of her hand, opened the door and handed it back to her, "There you go." Alice waited for a thank you, but none came. "You're welcome," she finally said and flashed Rosalie her middle finger.

Alice and Edward's room was at the end of the same hall and she let them in. Edward was gone but he had left a note saying he was working out and would be there at one for lunch. Alice left Jasper sitting on the couch and went in to the closet to decide which bathing suit to wear. She ended up putting on the navy backless one that Grace had mentioned Jasper would like. She wrapped a navy sarong around her body tying it in front and put her heels back on. Alice grabbed a towel and tugged on Jasper's hand.

Jasper stood up and kept his hand in hers all the way to the private garden gate. Alice punched in the four-digit code, waited for the click and opened the gate. They were looking at the Jasmine bushes and inhaling the sweet scent when they heard the sound of wheels on the cobblestone. Alice turned around and saw the food service cart.

"Emmett's always hungry, he eats all my food so this time I didn't shop before his arrival. So what does he do? "

"He showed up with my sister and you had nothing to offer her."

"Exactly, all I had was flavored fizzy water and a can of cashews I had hidden away."

"Grace texted me and asked me to bring her a few cans of Pringles, two big bags of Brookside's Acai and Blueberry and a bag of gummy bears."

"Is that what's in the bag?"

"Yes."

"The gummy bears are for Em and one Brookside. They are his favourite sweets. Last time I was there, I went shopping with him and he bought two big plastic jars of gummy bears and ten bags of the blueberries at Costco"

"Wow, I thought Grace had a wicked sweet tooth."

"What's your weakness Jasper?"

"Salty and sour; I brought myself some Pringles and a bag of sour wine gums."

"Sour wine gums sound interesting. I like sweet, salty, sour but I'm addicted to cashews."

"Hi guys, I ordered us some food and beer," Emmett was sitting in one of the lounge chairs already in his bathing suit.

"Whoa, my sister is drinking beer?"

"No, I ordered her a bottle of Aranciata."

"Grace asked me to bring her somethings. Can I put them inside?"

"Sure, I'll show you around," Alice answered as she stepped out of her heels.

"Make yourself at home, Alice" Emmett replied sarcastically.

"I already have," Alice giggled.

She showed Jasper the dinning room, living room and guest bathroom. They quietly went in to the master bedroom and Alice had Jasper put the goodie bag in the closet. She showed him the master bathroom and walked over to one of the windows to show him the view.

"Wow, this room looks impressive on the web page but even in the dark I can tell it's even more amazing."

Just after Alice closed the curtain, Grace stirred and rolled over in bed. The twosomes froze for a minute or two and were almost out of the room when she stirred again, "Em?"

"No, it's me, Pumpkin. How is your head?" Jasper replied softly.

"Better but I don't think I'm ready for light yet. Come over here and give me a kiss."

Jasper kissed both her cheeks and her forehead. "I guess Alice found you."

"She certainly did and thank you for sending her."

"She begged me to go and please tell me she didn't jump you."

"Grace, I promised I wouldn't jump him!" Alice whispered loudly.

"Hey Ali, didn't know you were here."

"Obviously! I put Jasper's care package in the closet. We were going to swim and Em ordered us food. He got you Aranciata, do you want some?"

"Go enjoy the food and pool and send Em in to me. Is Rose here?"

"We've got to talk about her later; right now she's napping,"

Grace could tell from the tone in his voice that Rose was being a bitch. "Go have fun you two."

"How are you feeling, Gorgeous?" Emmett asked quietly.

"I'd feel better if you crawled in here and cuddled me for a bit."

"As you wish."

Once he had her completely wrapped in his arms he kissed her shoulder and neck and felt most of the tension in his body melt away. Grace sighed contentedly and rested her arms on top of his that were on her stomach. "So Em, Rose was a total bitch?"

"She was OK with me after about half an hour but she did nothing but insult Alice the entire time. Jasper was already ticked about her leaving him in coach and defended Alice every time."

"He's smitten already."

"Oh I'd say he's more than smitten. The Pixie owns him."

"Wow, you Cullens move fast. You manage to capture our hearts in record time."

"We aim to have you at hello," Emmett chuckled.

"Hey, that can be our wedding song: Bon Jovi's You Had Me From Hello."

"Never heard of it."

"Dear God Em, please tell me you can at the very least tolerate Bon Jovi."

"Oh, I like them, Alice is a big fan and I use to take her to concerts. I'm just not familiar with that particular song."

"It's from Bounce, I never understood why it wasn't released as a single, it's beautiful."

"Permission to uncuddle? I've got the complete collection on my iPad."

"Uncuddle? "

"I make up words, Grace. Don't turn me over to the grammar police."

Grace laughed, "Go get your iPad, I think it's on the living room table."

Emmett was already flipping through his music as he walked back in to the bedroom. He had Bon Jovi pulled up and flipped to Bounce as he sat down on the bed. "Allow me," Grace stated and picked the tenth track. She watched Emmett as he listened to the lyrics, a soft smile spreading across his face. "Well, what do you think?"

"I think it's perfect for us. I feel like I wrote parts of it for you."

"Aw, Em. I love you, come back to me."

He put the iPad on the nearest chair and joined Grace back in bed. Their lips connected in a long sweet kiss and she snuggled in to his chest resting the side of her face there.

Alice and Jasper had made a good dent in the food Emmett had ordered and decided it was time to enter the pool. Alice stood barefoot in front of Jasper who couldn't get over how tiny she was without her super high heels. "Alice, I know you promised Grace you wouldn't jump me but I won't tell if you don't. Come on, let's go in to the water together."

Alice grinned, took two steps and jumped up. Jasper caught her and raised her up his body so she could wrap her legs around his waist. "You are lighter than a feather, Sugar."

Alice giggled, "That's why Em is always picking me up." Jasper chuckled and walked over to the steps and slowly descended in to the water. "So why do you think Emmett is still inside?"

"Knowing my brother, Grace told him about his treats and he's sitting in the closet eating them," Alice laughed.

"Possible but I think it's more likely that Grace is wrapped around him and not letting go. She gets very clingy when she's not feeling very well. She wants to be held."

"Em, what are Alice and Jasper doing? Yes permission to uncuddle is granted."

"I'll be back in a minute." Emmett quietly made his way on to the patio and stood where he could see the pool. He stayed for a few minutes and then returned to Grace. "Alice is floating on her back with her hands behind her head and Jasper is standing beside her with his hands under her helping her to float. They are talking and laughing."

"Shit!"

"What's wrong, Grace?"

"Was Edward serious when he said Alice would never leave Murano?"

"Yes, she loves it too much here."

"Fuck, Jasper is going to leave me for her. He's going to be an ocean away instead of a five-minute drive. For thirty-two years, he's been my rock, my teddy bear, my protector and best friend…"Grace's tears stopped her conversation.

Emmett held her tight letting her tears fall down his bare chest, "Gorgeous, you've got a new rock, teddy bear and protector. Alice was… well is my best friend so I can help you with the separation anxiety. I talk to the Evil Pixie daily via e-mail and we call or Skype almost weekly. I'll force Alice to visit more often and we can fly down here every few months if that is what you need. Who knows they might not even…"

Grace looked at him like he was an idiot, sucked back her snot and said, "Seriously, Em? I haven't even seen them together and I know they are soul mates."

"That was disgusting by the way," Emmett replied making a face.

"What, you would have preferred to have it all on your chest?"

"Smart ass! Let me go get you some Kleenex and kiss you back in to a good mood. This is our trial honeymoon after all. You have to be happy that Jasper has finally found his mate and crying will hurt your head more. Don't worry be happy, dude."

Grace chuckled, "Em, don't dude me!"

"Sorry, your Serene Highness."

"Serene Highness? You didn't tell me, the Thorny Bitch was knocking me on the boat too. Oh I'm going to smack her down so hard. What did she say?"

Emmett gulped, the last thing he wanted to do was start a family feud but he didn't want to lie to Grace. He figured if he played it off as nothing and included his comment the situation might just get him an eye roll or smack on the arm. "Jasper was complaining about her leaving him in coach and mentioned that you'd never do that to him. Rose said it wasn't her fault that her Serene Highness wouldn't use her body to get what she wants. I couldn't resist telling her that she was wrong because you totally use your body to get what you want. Then Alice had to jump in to speak up for you and hissed something about you knowing what subtle and classy was versus slutty and obvious. I told them both to go to neutral corners."

"Em, I'm so sorry I put you through an hour of hell. If I were there, you would have seen a tired and bitchy Rose who would have just ignored you and Alice. Jasper would have bitched about coach and I would have hugged it away. His tone was very hostile when I asked him about Rose. What else did she do?"

"Let's just say that she owes Alice a verbal and formal written apology."

"Alice didn't say a word to me when she was in here. She gave me grief for asking Jasper if she jumped him."

"Yeah well Alice can be a little shit disturber when she wants but she probably didn't want to upset you. I think she also figured I'd say something."

"Ah but you tried to avoid conflict."

"Oh I would have told you, I just didn't want you to get a stress headache on top of your migraine. She called Alice a midget and munchkin, gave her the evil eye, heard Alice say she was invited tonight and only cared if she could drink. The three of us were talking about what I did for a living and when Rose heard ACE from Alice she jumped in and excluded Ali from the conversation. She also told me to toss my sister overboard."

"Toss her overboard? Bear, why did you have her in your arms in the first place?"

"She was teasing me so I swooped her up and asked if she wanted to go for a swim."

"Do me a favour and open a few of the curtains, I want to see if I can handle the light."

"Do you still have a migraine?"

"No, I've got a dull ache in the back of my head."

"That's tension…."

"No, it's how I always feel afterwards."

He opened two curtains and after a few minutes Grace had him tie them all back. She told him that she'd have to wear her sunglasses for sure and changed into her black bikini. Emmett applied sunscreen to her body and they talked quietly for half an hour until Grace felt like she was ready to go outside, face the bright sunny day and listen to a love struck Jasper bitch about Rose.


	15. Mozzarella di Bufala

Emmett insisted on going outside before Grace did. He pulled the lounge chair he was using over to the patio table so Grace could have shade thanks to the large umbrella. He made her a couple of sandwiches and poured her a glass of Aranciata. Alice and Jasper were still goofing around in the pool so he told them to quiet down. He turned to go back in to the suite and saw Grace standing there with a soft smile on her face.

"Come here, Mr. Cullen."

"Miss Hale what can I do for you?"

"What don't you do for me Em? The way you've cared for me the last 6 days is so far beyond the way even Jasper has treated me my entire life. The next time I tell you I know why you were single just say, 'yes your Highness' to remind me how incredibly lucky I am to have you and your love. May I have a kiss?"

"I'll grant you a billion kisses and when they run out I'll give you two billion more." Emmett closed the gap between them, held her head gently in his large hands and peppered her with gentle kisses then left a deep lingering one before kissing her forehead. "How's your head doing? I think you should eat something."

"I watched you make me sandwiches. I'd love to taste them."

"Then follow me, my lady."

"As you wish," Grace replied using his line and grabbing his hand.

Alice spotted them and told Jasper to look at them. He watched his little sister and tried to remember when she looked that happy. Grace never looked at James the way she was looking at Emmett and the fact that she was his life now was evident on his face.

"You are right Ali, they are deeply in love and I never stand in the way of true love."

"They want to get married in December, right before Christmas."

"Grace moves fast once she's made up her mind about something."

"So you don't have a problem with any of this?"

"No, I never thought James was good enough for her. I like Emmett, any man who treats; Pumpkin like she is the center of the universe has both my blessings and admiration. Your brother and I are going to be good friends."

"What about the Bitch?"

Jasper chuckled, "Grace will knock her down several pegs and she'll apologize to you."

"That's nice but what I meant was how will she react to the engagement news?"

"Well she knows about the engagement so she'll be fine. The December wedding part will freak her out and she'll try to get Grace to change it."

"Great, Edward is against it too. He thinks they are moving too fast."

"If Grace had told me on the phone I would have spent the entire flight here coming up with a plan to get her to slow down. Now that I've seen the two of them together, I would have scrapped my plan."

"How's your head feeling Grace?" Alice asked.

"Much better, my pills are excellent if I can catch it before I get a migraine. They are really good if I wake up with one."

"How can you catch it before?" Alice asked having never experienced one.

"Normally, it's during the day and I'm reading and all of a sudden I start missing words. It's like there is a little blurry dot in front of a word. I blink a few times and look away for a few minutes but it still happens when I look at the text again. I pop a pill and I'm fine. I sometimes get a slight headache but that's easy to deal with."

"My Mom and Em get them. Edward and I lucked out."

"Grace, you really need to eat and get hydrated," Emmett stated as he handed her a plate with a sandwich and a glass of Aranciata. He'd mixed a few types of meat with a few slices of buffalo mozzarella.

"Mozzarella di Bufala," Alice exclaimed from the pool after Grace had taken a bite.

"It's so good, too bad I can't bring it back home with me."

"Emmett's tried and it's been confiscated every time. Are you going to come in the pool?"

"Maybe after lunch if, Em agrees to wash my hair afterwards."

"As you wish, I'm all for naked Grace," Emmett replied quietly.

"I heard that Emmett," Jasper teased from the pool.

"Are either of you wearing sunscreen?" Grace asked saving Emmett from answering her brother.

"No," They replied in unison.

"At noon, I'm making you both get out of the water, dry off and then put sunscreen on. Oh before one of you asks, Em and I already have sunscreen on."

"Less talking, more chewing Grace," Emmett quipped as he popped a piece of folded mozzarella in his mouth.

Grace stuck her tongue out at him and took a big bite of her sandwich, washing it down with some fizzy orange flavoured water. Emmett pulled over another lounge chair and offered to hold the glass for his beloved who told him that she was fine but appreciated the level of service he was offering.

"Want another beer Jasper?" Alice asked.

"Sure."

"Em, can you hand us two beers?"

"Jasper would you mind giving, Short Stuff a pull or two off yours? With lunch coming up she'll be drunk before dinner."

"Emmett!"

Jasper laughed, "Is she reacting to the nickname or being cut off?"

"Both!" Alice replied giving Emmett her stern look.

"I'm not scared of you, Pixie."

"Grace?"

"Em, stop teasing your sister."

"Fine, so what did you order for lunch?"

"Pretty much what you did but a bit more selection. I ordered lots of mozzarella with a bottle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I got a salad for Rose"

"Figures, Rose is a salad person," Alice responded as Emmett handed Jasper an open bottle of beer. Jasper took a sip and offered the bottle to Alice. "I can't really stand in this water, it's too deep. I'll swim over to the edge of the pool."

"Why don't we just go sit on the steps and enjoy the beer," Jasper suggested.

"You look really good in that bathing suit Alice, I love the back cut out."

"Thank you Jazz, you look good too. I like how toned your body is."

"Thanks but compared to your brother I feel like a bean pole."

"Em is a freak of nature. I'd say you are in between Em and Eddie since he is lanky."

Alice and Jasper continued talking while sharing the bottle. Grace noticed that they were not paying any attention to her and motioned Emmett to come closer, "What do you think about us hosting a birthday dinner for Alice on Tuesday? Our table seats six and I thought I could make some of her favorite foods. Would your mom give up her recipes?"

Emmett leaned over and kissed Grace's cheek, "You are so thoughtful and sweet, Gorgeous. Alice would be so surprised and love it. Mom would have no problems with anything."

"Then what could I make her?"

"She loves mom's lasagna and garlic bread."

"OK what about appetizers and dessert. I'll make a tomato and mozzarella salad."

"Hmm… bacon wrapped scallops, pigs in a blanket, a bowl of cashews and honestly since she's getting the cake tonight I'd go with chocolate chip cookies."

"OK those I don't really need your mom for but will I be able to find hot dogs here?"

"You'll want the cookie recipe and you can get most of what you need at Billa supermarket and the scallops from the Rialto fish market. Edward can get the scallops for you on Tuesday and we can go to Billa on Monday. Get Jasper to ask her to be his tour guide Monday and ask her out to dinner for her birthday. He can stop by here and we can surprise her."

"Sounds like a plan, Rose can work out while we shop and maybe you and Edward can take her to see Venice while I do all the cooking on Tuesday."

"I'm going to go e-mail mom now. Please eat your second sandwich and drink some more Aranciata."

"Yes Dad and don't think I missed the fact that you avoided answering me."

"That idea needs to marinate some," Emmett chuckled before disappearing around the corner.

"Grace can I have a beer please?" Alice asked as soon as Emmett was gone.

"Feel like sharing another one Jasp?"

"Et tu Brutus?" Alice pouted.

Grace laughed, "No, but I ordered beer and wine for lunch too. You'll be in the sun until five I'm sure and you'll have a few drinks. You weigh next to nothing so Em is right; odds are you'll be drunk before dinner. There will be wine at dinner, then drinks at the club."

"They have a point, Alice but don't worry I'll make sure you get home safe and sound."

"Thank you Jasper. Grace you better order more Aranciata and Limonata if you want to keep me sober."

"What did you think of that lemonade I ordered the other day?"

"It was pretty good."

"I'll order another pitcher of it then."

Grace finished eating her sandwich and brought her glass of Aranciata into the room with her. Emmett was still at his computer and smiled at her, "Getting too bright out there for you?"

"No, I'm just ordering more non alcoholic drinks for lunch. Think with the time difference you can get your parents to Skype and sing her Happy Birthday?"

"I actually thought of that already. Dad probably can't make it home but maybe Mom can make it to the hospital. I asked her about it. When were you going to give Jasper the chocolates you had me buy for him? "

"After lunch, I thought they could be dessert. Give Rose her chocolate and we could share a box with Alice and Edward. By the way, I had Jasper bring you two treats but you are going to have to pace yourself if you want them to last."

"What did you get me?" Emmett asked with a huge grin.

"Just let me call room service and order the drinks first then I'll show you."

A few minutes later Grace had Emmett sitting on the bed with his eyes closed and his hands out. She placed a bag in each hand and then told him to open his eyes. The smile on Emmett's face warmed her heart as he looked like a five year old on Christmas morning.

"Oh my God….Oh my God, Grace I love you! How did you?"

"I texted Jasper. I got myself a bag of Brookside too so keep your paws off them."

"You are the most incredible woman in the world. I love you soooo much."

"I love you too and your reaction is why I did it. Go on, I know you want to rip the bag open. Have a handful or two."

Emmett had his hand in the bag in mere seconds and popped a handful in to his mouth chewing and moaning in delight. He moved the bag in her direction and Grace took one. She sucked the dark chocolate off then chewed the gummy like fruit. She looked up to find Emmett looking at her like she had three heads again. Grace ignored him, took a few more and chewed on them this time.

"Seriously? How can you eat them like that and only taking one? I am marrying an insane woman."

"I like to savor the flavor plus they last longer this way. Fill one of the bar glasses with them and let's go back outside."

Emmett ate two more handfuls and then filled a glass and went straight outside leaving Grace to hide them on him. She simply rolled her eyes and put the bags back in the plastic bag in the closet. She grabbed the bottle of sunscreen and headed to the pool.

Rosalie woke up from her nap a little after eleven and decided she'd go check the gym out. She put on a barely there black bikini, a pair of white short shorts and a blue T-shirt that ended just above her belly button. She slipped her feet in to her running shoes and slid the room key in to the pocket of the shorts. Rose went to the Concierge to ask him where the gym was.

"You will find the fitness room in the Casanova Wellness Centre. A little fact for you: we named it after Casanova because he use to carry out his clandestine trysts in what is now our gardens."

Rose rolled her eyes, she didn't want a history lesson she wanted directions, "Whatever, how do I get there?"

The Concierge gave her directions and then asked her if she would be staying until one.

"Why should that matter to you?" Rose asked rudely.

God this woman is a bitch; he thought before answering her, "I'm to escort you to your sister's suite at one for lunch."

"Oh right, I'll wait for you outside the centre."

"I'll see you then."

Rosalie found her way to the fitness room and went over to the spa to look at treatment options and prices. She thought it was ridiculous that she could get a pedicure for the same price as a shampoo and style. Rose also knew that even though they could both afford it Grace would baulk at the prices. She'd have to do a lot of sweet-talking to get Grace to agree to a manicure.

After she looked at the spa prices she went over to the fitness room to check out the equipment. The fitness room boasted the latest in high tech equipment and the treadmills were the same as the ones back at her gym in Cambridge. She noticed a very good-looking guy on the treadmill and decided she needed to flirt with him. She programmed a five-mile run in to the machine and started running. She glanced over at his machine and saw that he only had twenty minutes left; she'd have to work fast. "Is the gym always quiet at this hour?"

Edward smiled to himself, he'd been checking out the gorgeous blonde with a killer body from the moment she walked in. He took a sip of water and grabbed the bars as he turned his head to talk to her, "I've been here a few different times and it's never very crowded. Did you just arrive today?"

Rosalie took in his deep green eyes and chiseled jaw. His copper coloured hair was a mess and she knew why when he ran his hand through it. He was tall, probably the same height as Jasper and had a lanky yet still muscular build. "Yes, I just flew in this morning. I took a little nap and decided since I had time to kill I'd get some exercise in."

Edward looked in to her deep blue eyes, "Time to kill? Are you going on a tour?"

Rose flipped her wavy golden blond hair away from her face and smiled at him, "No, I wish. I have to meet my sister, her fiancé and his annoying munchkin of a sister for lunch at one. My brother is going to be there too but we are not on speaking terms at the moment."

Edward chuckled, "What did your brother do?"

"He took the pain in the ass munchkin's side and told me to shut the fuck up."

"That doesn't sound very nice of him. Wait a second, pain in the ass munchkin? Did she have short dark brown hair, brown eyes and wore six inch heels?"

"Yes! Have you seen her around the hotel?"

"She's sharing my room, you must be Rose."

"How do you..."

"I'm their eldest brother Edward. You'll be having lunch with me at one too. Emmett told me you were hot but he didn't tell me you were stunning."

"Why thank you, Edward. You are very handsome."

Edward looked over at the display on her treadmill," Rose unless you are incredibly fast you won't be able to run more than four miles and make it to lunch at one. Can I interest you in a drink poolside then we can make our way over?"

"I told the concierge I'd meet him here at one."

"Oh, I need to take a shower, change and everything is back in my room. How about I buy you a drink and meet you at the pool when I'm done? I'll call the concierge to tell him to never mind meeting us and call Emmett to let us in."

"I overheard the munchkin telling my brother that her room was up the same hall. What room are you in?"

"164, what about you?"

"Room 152. I think I'll change and you can knock on my door once you are finished."

Edward opened the door for Rose and told her he'd see her in half an hour. He whistled a tune on the way back to his room thinking that Emmett's suggestion to tap her wasn't such a bad idea after all. He took a quick shower, shaved and splashed on some cologne. Edward changed in to a black bathing suit and pulled on a white polo shirt. His large feet were shoved into black sandals then he grabbed a towel. He made it back to Rose's door in twenty-five minutes.

Rose had brushed her hair and applied another coat of lipstick and some gloss to the center of her lips. She kept her tiny bikini on and changed in to a gauzy short white dress that barely covered her. Rose knew that as soon as they hit the sunlight, Edward would be able to see plenty of skin. She stepped in to four-inch white wedge sandals and hurried over to the door when she heard a knock.

"Hi, Edward," she stated as she opened the door. "Your hair is obviously untamable, you suit it though."

"I hate my hair, it never behaves unless I gel it all back and I don't like that look. It always looks like I just tumbled out of bed."

"You've got the best bed head ever. I look like a bird has nested in my hair. Did you call the Concierge?"

"Yes and I called Emmett too. Do you know that Grace and Emmett intend to get married? Don't get me wrong it's painfully obvious that they love each other but…"

"But what? Yes I know they are engaged. Emmett lit up when he talked about her."

"Don't you think they are rushing in to marriage?"

"When do they plan on getting married Edward?"

"A few days before Christmas."

"Are they insane? They met on what was supposed to be Grace's honeymoon! James deserved to get dumped at the altar and Grace recovered rather quickly but this is just ridiculous!"

"I agree with you Rose, the worst part is that they are actively trying to get pregnant."

"Oh my God! We've got to make them see how rash they are being. Why the hell can't they live together and find out if they can live outside of a honeymoon situation?"

"I brought that up to Em and he said he'd marry her that day if he could. He said something about them both knowing it was right."

"It's wrong, very wrong." Rose muttered.

"Maybe if we work out what to say we can tag team them. I'll take Grace and you can take Emmett. Unfortunately, Alice thinks it's wonderful and she's only concerned about the bridesmaid dress."

"Jasper is a lost cause, he always sides with Grace. He'll ask if she's sure and when she says yes he will be onboard. By the way, Jasper and your sister were attached at the hip on the boat."

"Really, that's interesting, Ali has a few friends here and most of the store and restaurant owners of the places she frequents have adopted her as their daughter. She's still lonely though. If anyone can make a long distance relationship work it's her."

"Do you have a girlfriend Edward?"

"No, what about you?"

"No, I broke up with the last guy almost 6 months ago. He was getting on my nerves and we didn't have anything in common. The sex was good but putting up with him wasn't worth it. Do you have a friends with benefits deal Ed? Do you mind being called Ed?"

"Prefer Edward but I don't mind Ed, I hate Eddie. It's more of a fellow worker with benefits type thing. What about you?"

"Don't like being called Rosie and I've been keeping Duracell in business."

Edward chuckled, "I like you Rose, you are a breath of fresh air."

"Thanks Edward, I like you too. Now about that drink?"

As soon as Rose walked outside, Edward almost had a seizure. Her white cover up became see through in the sunlight and her thong bikini bottom left nothing to his imagination. She stretched out on a lounge chair and Edward had to force himself to only give her a quick glance. He wasn't sure but he thought the bikini top was even smaller than Grace's red one. Edward ordered a beer for himself and an orange and pineapple juice with vodka for Rosalie. They talked about work and Rose's love of London until he noticed the time.

"It's 1:05 Rose, we better go. I'll just return your glass and my bottle to the bar."

Emmett was leaning against the gate waiting for them. He saw Rose on her approach and thought Grace's bikini was Puritan compared to her younger sister. "Welcome to the Palladio suite, Rose. I'll give you a tour after lunch. Ed how was the workout?"

"Great, I met Rose there. I'm hungry though."

"Grace ordered an amazing spread."

As soon as Rose made eye contact with Grace she knew she was in trouble. Grace crooked her finger and Rose walked straight over to her with her head down. "I'm happy you arrived safely Rose. I'm extremely disappointed in your behavior and your general attitude. You are going to apologize to Alice for being such a bitch, thank her for inviting you to her birthday celebration and offer to treat her to a manicure when we go. I adore Alice and you will not treat her like she's an annoying pest. You also owe Jasper an apology. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal," Rose sighed.

"I love you, now get to it!"

"Rose, we ordered you a salad but I encourage you to add some meat and slices of Mozzarella di Bufala to it. The cheese is out of this world. There is olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing," Emmett stated.

"Thank you Emmett. Alice, I'd like to apologize for being a total bitch to you. I'm not a fan of flying and long flights tend to bring the worst out of me. Thank you for including me in your birthday celebrations and I'd like to gift you with a manicure when Grace and I go."

Alice knew Rose was only partly sorry but she wanted to appease Grace, "I'm sorry I called you a Bimbo. Apology accepted and I never say no to a free manicure."

"Jasper, I'm sorry I ditched you but you should be use to it by now. I am sorry for annoying you so much on the boat. Emmett, I'm sorry for being a bitch when you were only trying to be social and I really appreciate you coming to pick us up."

"Apology accepted now lets eat."

Grace and Alice laughed as Emmett took a huge bite out of the sandwich he had made himself. Jasper's jaw almost dropped when Rose made herself a sandwich after she had finished her salad. Once she was done, she put a few slices of mozzarella on a plate, splashed a bit of olive oil on them then some balsamic vinegar.

"Rose, I don't remember the last time you ate that much for lunch?"

"I'm not finished either, you were so right about the cheese Emmett."

"Should I order some more for us to snack on later?"

"Yes!" Jasper, Rose and Emmett replied in unison.

"I'll order it now and have them deliver in an hour or so."

"I'll do it Gorgeous, do you want some more wine Rose?"

"No thanks Emmett, I don't need the empty calories and I pretty much drank a bottle myself. Let me taste your lemonade, Grace. Oh that is good! Can you order another pitcher of that?"

"Sure Rose, should I bring dessert out?"

Grace grinned slyly, "I don't know. Is anyone up for some chocolate?"

"If it's the same chocolate we had the other day Em, bring it on!" Edward responded.

"Rose, would you like your tour now?"

"Sure, I'll come with you, Emmett."

"So, Jasper what do you do for a living?" Edward asked.

Grace looked over at Alice who was smiling and hanging on Jasper's every word. She smiled herself, took a deep breath and exhaled the tension that inhabited her body. Rose behaved perfectly over lunch and seemed to enjoy Edward's company. Maybe Emmett's idea of their siblings spending time with each other would work and she could slip away for another one of his tours of Venice after all.


	16. Birthday Cake

"Em, will you put my belt on for me?"

"Damn, I missed your lingerie selection."

"Beige Emmett, stop pouting. If you are a good boy, I'll put on your favourite when we get back."

Emmett gave her a huge grin and spent twenty minutes trying to get the little button in the slot cursing his large hands much to Grace's delight. "Consider this practice for my wedding dress."

"Buttons are easier to undo than do. Besides you can rip them undone if need be."

"Which you'd never dream of doing if you value your life. Right?"

"Yes Grace," Emmett sighed, "How do you usually get the belt on when you are alone?"

"I turn it around, button it then turn it back."

"That would have taken you a minute. Why did you let me struggle for twenty?"

"You like doing things for me and I liked having you so close."

"You are evil, Grace Hale."

"Surely, you didn't just figure that out now? You like my brand of evil."

"It's more like I tolerate your brand of evil," Emmett teased.

"Tolerate? P…l ….ease, you love me mind, body and soul."

"I noticed that you didn't mention your issues with sanity."

"So I have a plan for pens that you don't understand and I eat dark chocolate Acai blueberries like a civilized person not a wild bear like some people…"

"I resemble that remark," Emmett chuckled.

"I can't believe Rose went with Edward to bring the cake over. I really didn't think they'd hit it off."

"Your sister is a study in contradictions. If Edward asked her to go, I bet she would have said no. She volunteered instead."

"She likes Edward, I just hope she doesn't hurt him."

"Ed is a big boy, he can take care of himself. Now give me a kiss before you put lipstick on."

Grace happily indulged Emmett until she heard her brother calling out to her. She left one last kiss on his lips and walked outside.

"You look great, Pumpkin. Is Alice here yet?"

"Not yet, I take it she asked you to meet her here."

"Exactly."

"How did you get in?"

"Alice gave me the gate code."

"The Evil Pixie strikes again!" Emmett exclaimed as he wrapped an arm around Grace's waist. "Hi Jasper."

"Hi Emmett, is Pumpkin giving you trouble?"

"He enjoys my brand of trouble, Jasp."

"She keeps life interesting," Emmett responded. "How about Short Stuff?"

"So far so good but I have a feeling I'm going to be cursing you and Edward out for never saying no to her."

"That was Em more than Edward. He still can't say no to her."

"Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Grace."

"You're welcome," Grace chuckled.

"I think I'm going to call you the Evil Pumpkin from now on," Emmett countered.

Grace's retort was stopped by the sound of heels. They all turned to look towards the gate and a minute later Alice was visible. She had a flowing red dress on that stopped just above her knee. Fine spaghetti straps exposed her collarbone and part of her back. She was wearing the earrings Emmett gave her, five inch red Louboutin heels and carried a small red crystal encrusted purse in the shape of lips.

"Looking good Sis."

"Alice you look both sexy and enchanting. I'll be the envy of every man in the restaurant and club."

"Aww Jasper, thank you. I'm glad you approve. You look quite handsome yourself. Grace you look very demure, I like the blue velvet belt and your Jimmy's are fabulous."

"Thanks Ally, Em wanted an angelic Grace tonight."

"Of course, he didn't want to spend all night keeping the guys away from you. Judging from what she wore on the plane and her lunch attire I'm assuming she'll be the center of attention."

"Rose always wants to be the center of attention. It really gets on our nerves," Jasper answered.

"Where is she?"

"She wanted to see a bit of Venice so Edward volunteered to take her early to get in some sight seeing."

"Ah, well since tonight is all about me I suggest that we leave. I want a cocktail before dinner."

Emmett rolled his eyes at his sister and rested his arm across Grace's shoulder. He was wondering how long it would take Alice to realize they were not going to her usual birthday dinner. Alice was so busy talking to Jasper that she only noticed where they were when the boat pulled in to a very familiar dock.

"What are we doing in Murano?"

"I thought your usual could use a little shake up Alice. Trust me you'll love the food."

"We are going to Lele's!" Alice jumped up and down a few times clapping her hands.

Emmett and Grace rolled their eyes while Jasper beamed at the pint size girl that was quickly overtaking his heart. He got off the boat and extended his hand to her. Alice gave him a wide smile and stepped in to his body to make room on the dock for her brother and Grace.

"So is Lele a restaurant?" Jasper asked.

"Yes, it's one of the best places to eat in all of Venice and it just so happens to be on my island. Its full name is long, locals just call it Lele. The owner is a kind-hearted ginger who treats me like family. I have lunch there often and I always bring Em and Ed when they visit me."

"The food is sublime Jasper but I think this time all I want is Canoce," Grace stated.

"What is Canoce?"

"It's ugly but it's the sweetest shrimp you'll ever taste," Alice answered.

"It's also a pain in the ass to eat, but it's worth getting it out of the shell. I'll do yours for you Al since it's your birthday but Edward and Rose are on their own."

"Show me how to do it Emmett and I'll happily do it for Alice and I."

"You've got yourself a deal Jasper. I had a feeling you'd just want Canoce, Gorgeous. I ordered seven platters of it."

"You have to order it in advance?" Jasper inquired.

"Yes, there is a fishing embargo during August in the Adriatic Sea. Until about the end of October you have to reserve it if you want to guarantee getting some."

"Interesting, Alice you'll have to tell me more about the quirks of living here."

Grace tensed in Emmett's arm so he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "You have me now and I'm never leaving you Grace. Stop thinking about a possibility and celebrate all you have today. You are in Venice with the man of your dreams who happens to love you more than you'll ever know."

"Thank you, Em." Grace let Emmett pull her closer and engaged in small talk until they reached the Trattoria. She spotted Edward and Rose sitting at a table for six, small tea lights lit up the table and a single white rose sat in a bud vase. The temperature was quite pleasant which drew her eyes to the fact that Rose was wearing Edward's jacket. What inappropriate little thing is she wearing, she wondered. As the four of them approached the table Rose and Edward stood and Grace groaned into Emmett's chest.

"Is she even wearing a top?" Emmett whispered. All he could see was skin from the opening of Edward's jacket. Grace scrutinized her sister and gave her a disapproving glare. She recognized the excuse for a dress. It was a black slinky plunge dress that left nothing to the imagination. The dress had a very deep V-neck cowl front that went well past her belly button; in fact the micro mini ended maybe three inches later just covering her. All that kept the dress on was the two silver rings right above her breasts that the thin halter straps were attached to. Most of her back was bare and if she tried to bend she'd be giving an indecent show.

"We ordered the fried shrimp and calamari and a grilled branzino fillet." Edward said instead of greeting the foursome.

"I ordered several platters of Canoce, but I'm not doing all the work this time Ed. You can fend for yourself and Rose. Jasper requested a lesson then he's going to take care of Ali and Grace is having it for dinner so I'll take care of our shellfish."

"You look very nice Sis."

"Thank you, Edward."

"That really is a very pretty dress Alice," Rose said after finishing a glass of red wine.

"How many glasses has she had?" Emmett whispered to Grace.

"Edward can I have a word?" Grace asked.

Edward assumed she was talking about the cake so he got up and followed her out of hearing range," The cake arrived in one piece and it's in the fridge."

"Thanks but I'm more concerned about my sister. Thank you for making her put your jacket on. I call that little number her whore dress. When drunk she looses her inhibitions and sense of decency."

"She looks hotter than hell but I managed to convince her that this was a family restaurant and you'd kill her for ruining Alice's dinner."

"I would have. I may kill her yet. She's not going to keep your jacket on in the club so you better watch her alcohol intake and be prepared to never leave her side or she will start a brawl. I get horny when drunk but I have a date I'm horny with. Rose flirts and teases then withdraws to be trampy with some other guy. She's an attention whore and when she dresses like one it's….."

"Don't worry Grace, I'll take good care of your sister and I never screw a drunk woman."

"I don't care if you screw her, I just don't want you involved in a bar brawl and spending the night in jail because of her."

"Thank you for the warning but I can handle your sister."

"Don't delude yourself Edward, together Jasper and I can't handle her."

"Is there a problem?" Emmett asked snaking his arm around his fiancée's back.

"Just warning your Bro about my Sis."

"I repeat is she even wearing a top?"

"Not much of one but damn does she ever look hot," Edward answered.

"I'm sure she does, but I'm engaged to the hottest woman in the universe."

"Aww Em, that just earned you my mad skills when we get back to the hotel."

"Think Alice will care if we leave before dinner?" Emmett teased.

"I most certainly will mind!" Alice stated. "Your sister is being very nice, she's starting to freak me out so sit down!"

Emmett laughed, gave his sister a peck on the top of her head and let her lead him back to the table. Edward and Grace followed behind and sat down just as two platters of Canoce were placed on the table. He showed Jasper how to get the sweet seafood out and was impressed at how quickly Jasper mastered the task. Grace forced herself to feed Emmett instead of just inhaling every Canoce he peeled. They toasted Alice and three more platters arrived with the fried shrimp and calamari Edward had ordered. Grace and Emmett decided to try the house white wine while everyone else was drinking red. Conversation was minimal as they were all busy enjoying the food.

Lele came out to wish Alice a Happy Birthday. He kissed both her cheeks and said a few things in Italian that were too fast for anyone but Alice to understand. "Lele, I'd like you to meet my future husband Jasper. Jasper this is Lele."

Jasper smiled softly at Alice and stood to shake Lele's hand, "Thank you for treating her so well. It's nice to know she has people around to care about her."

"She's family and nice to meet you. Bella, cosa ti piacerebbe per cena?"

"Surprise me Lele."

Emmett ended up ordering Alice's surprise while Jasper went with spaghetti in cuttlefish ink, Edward and Rose had the grilled branzino fillet and Grace asked for the last two platters of Canoce to be brought out. Alice's surprise meal turned out to be a mixed seafood medley with a fresh tomato and basil sauce served over freshly made linguine.

"I can't eat the last three Canoce, anyone want ..."

Before Grace could finish her sentence Jasper's and Emmett's hands were hovering over the plate and they were gone in a flash. About twenty minutes later the table was cleared and Lele came out to take coffee orders.

"I don't know about the Hales order but all the Cullens will have milk," Edward responded.

"Two milks and Rose I assume you want a café macchiato."

"Yes, I can add a few drops of milk from your glass."

"Rose, what you want to order is a café macchiato freddo. Most Italians just ask for a macchiato freddo."

"Thank you, Alice."

"I could have gone for a macchiato myself, Edward. What's with the milk?"

"You don't know what's for dessert but I do."

As soon as the drinks were delivered, Grace pretended she had to go to the bathroom and Jasper leaned over a tiny bit to run his thumb down, Alice's back to distract her. Lele had the cake sitting on a Murano glass pedestal cake plate. He told Grace that he had commissioned five from Alice but she refused to let him pay for them. "That sounds like her, thanks for storing it for me Lele."

"Anything for my Alice."

Grace put 3 candles on the cake and Lele lit them for her. She walked carefully back out to the piazza and as soon as Emmett saw her he started to sing. Alice turned around and her jaw dropped. Grace put the cake in front of her on the table and Alice started to cry.

She could tell from the way the cake was frosted that it was homemade and she knew Grace had spent a few hours working on it. Jasper tried wiping the tears away with his thumb but the tears kept coming.

Alice stood up and threw her arms around Grace, "You have no idea how much this means to me. Lusting after you in the pub was the smartest thing Emmett has ever done."

"No, I think marrying me will be the smartest because then we will be sisters officially and we can both gang up on him."

"I heard that Evil Pumpkin, Short Stuff stop crying and blow out the damn candles."

"Don't forget to make a wish!" Rose exclaimed as she took a large sip of her macchiato.

She didn't understand why a simple cake turned Alice into a blubbering mess.

Alice smiled at her brothers and Grace then clasped Jasper's hand and made her wish. She finally had everything she could ever wish for so she simply wished that it lasted forever. Rose would only take a bite from Edward's cake and after nearly forcing Lele to have a piece; Alice was still left with a quarter of cake. Lele promised to wrap it for her and keep it until the following day.

On the boat, Grace snuggled into Emmett to stay warm and Jasper gave Alice his jacket.

She looked so ridiculous in it that he started to laugh. "I guess I do look silly but I'm warm so I don't care."

"I think I can warm you up a little bit more," Jasper responded as he wrapped his arms around her and bent down to whisper in her ear, "So I'm going to be your future husband?"

"You didn't say anything, I wondered if you heard me."

"Oh, I heard you Alice, I just needed sometime to put my bachelor days behind me. I've never been a one- woman man but you are the first filly that has ever even come close to making me think about settling down. I'm not ready for marriage yet but if you want a boyfriend who adores you…."

"We will be married, but I'm willing to wait until you are ready to propose to me."

"I'll take that as a yes on the boyfriend, " Jasper chuckled.

"I guess I better prepare for ugly crying on Tuesday if Alice responded like that to my simple cake," Grace said to Emmett as he was kissing her neck.

"It surprised me a little, I guess she was more lonely than she ever let on. How are you feeling about her calling Jasper her hubby?"

"I think I'll be fine until the week before he leaves me. He just can't up and leave so I've got at least a year."

Emmett had a very strong feeling that Jasper wouldn't be able to stay away from Alice for very long. He was pretty sure he'd move to Murano when Alice went home after their wedding. He wisely decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"I wonder what Rose and Edward are talking about?" Grace whispered to him.

"They aren't really talking, Rose is resting her head on his shoulder and looking up. I think they are star gazing."

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

"You can star gaze, I'm going to graze on your neck"

"Don't mark me, Em. I know; I'm no fun."

"Nah, you promised me mad skills, you are fun."

As soon as they arrived at the club, Rose handed Edward his jacket back and sauntered over to the bar. Edward watched as the entire male population ogled her and the female population shot her dirty looks. He picked up his pace and managed to stand behind her at the bar. "She's with me, I'll pay for her drink and I'll have a Gin and Tonic."

Edward looked around and spotted Emmett at a table tucked into the corner and quickly guided Rose over there. "Does she have any idea how slutty she looks?" Alice asked.

"Yes and she doesn't care, she wants all eyes on her!" Jasper responded.

"That is her worst dress. It's her I'm going out to get drunk, get pawed and then somehow get home without putting out dress. Let's hope she used double sided tape, she doesn't always." Grace groaned. "Seriously Rose, put Edward's jacket back on."

"No, I look like a million bucks."

"Actually Sis, you look like fifty bucks for two hours," Jasper snapped.

"Please, Grace owns this dress in red and no one gives her grief for it."

"Jackass bought it for me and I wore it at home once, not out in public!"

Rose downed her drink and headed for the dance floor.

" I'll take the first shift, come dance with me Em," Grace sighed.

Emmett followed Grace leaving Edward, Jasper and Alice alone at the table. Alice took a sip of her drink and smiled at Jasper. "Ed, let's get a few more drinks into Rose and then do or say whatever you have to so she'll go back to the hotel with you."

"You mean I get to escape being your dance partner?"

"No, next song you are going to dance with me, then I'll make the sacrifice. I have a feeling Jasper will dance with me whenever I want."

"I'm all yours tonight Alice," Jasper replied with a rakish grin.

Fifteen minutes later, Emmett sat down beside Jasper and leaned over to talk to him. "Dude, that prick really messed with Grace's mind. You have no idea how controlling he was or you would have broken his face. I have more to tell you but I swore to Grace that I wouldn't. He deserves death, we need to come up with a way to ruin him that doesn't involve both of us ending up in jail."

"If you promised Grace, don't tell me anymore. I trust that if you think he deserves to swim with the fishes you have a good reason. I'm a pretty good hacker; we could financially ruin him, get his expensive car repossessed and get him fired. It wouldn't surprise me if he did something illegal, maybe we can actually get him sent to prison."

"I like the sound of that. Let me know what I can do."

"I will, I'll start snooping around when I get back to Boston. Here comes Alice."

"Would you dance with me Mr. Hale?"

"It would be my pleasure Miss Cullen."

When Rosalie complained about the music for a third time, Edward suggested they head back to the hotel and hook up either of their iPods to the tiny travel speakers he had. He was surprised when she agreed and escorted her over to the table to say good-bye to everyone. Edward handed her his jacket and she put it on without a fuss. Emmett looked at Grace in astonishment and she chuckled.

"Rose, mass at the Basilica is at noon. You can meet us at the dock at 11:15 otherwise the entrance is from the Porta dei Fiori (north façade) in the Piazzetta dei Leoncini."

"Edward and I discovered that there was a 6:45pm mass on Sunday, we'll be going to that one."

"Jasper, I'll see you there at noon with Alice I assume."

"Actually Grace, I'm never up before eleven on a Sunday. I go to noon mass at San Pietro Martire on Murano. It takes me ten minutes to walk there."

"That's convenient, since I'm staying with Alice tonight I'll join her."

"I thought I'd give Jasper a tour of Murano tomorrow and we could all meet up for dinner," Alice stated.

"Are we still going to the Pizza place?" Emmett inquired.

"Yes Bear, but we might have to eat earlier so Rose and Ed can make it to mass on time. How about 5:30?"

"OK, well I guess we will all be split up until dinner tomorrow. Have a good night Ed and Rose."

"Night Em," Edward answered.

"See you at dinner Emmett," Rose giggled as she finished his drink on him.

"What the hell was that?" Emmett asked.

"Rose when you can rationalize with her before she has one drink too many."

"She just drained my drink, I'm going to the bar. Do you want anything Grace?"

"A bottle of water would be good. Alice?"

"A screwdriver please, Emmy."

"Come with me Jasper I can't hold three drinks in different glasses."

"How many beer glasses can you do?" Jasper asked as they made their way across the busy club.

"Eight glasses, six steins."

"Six glasses and I've never tried more than two steins. I should warn you, Grace will never think to pick up beer for you. She only buys what she likes to drink."

"That's OK, does she really have a drawer full of candy at home and work?"

"Yes, she has a glass jar of Jelly Bellys on her desk. They don't last long when I visit her. I sit down, grab the jar and eat until I feel sick."

"That's what I do to the Brookside blueberries. Jasper, I should warn you that Alice always gets what she wants and you are what she wants."

"She's already told me she will wait until I'm ready to propose to her. I've known her for less than 24 hours and for some strange reason I don't want to bolt. Does she have magical powers?"

Emmett laughed, "No she's just very sneaky, an excellent… no make that a master manipulator and she never takes no for an answer. More than a few teachers said she was a stubborn and willful child. She drives me stark raving mad sometimes but Grace was right when she ratted me out. I never say no to her, I might take a very long time to do what she wants but I eventually do it."

"Sounds like she has the power of persuasion to me," Jasper chuckled.

"Then yes, she's had me under her spell since the moment she was born. She was crying when my Dad brought Edward and I in to see our Mom and meet her. I took her in my arms and she stopped crying instantly. I gave her to Mom and she started to wail again. I took her back and silence once more. She hates thunder and lightening storms, we had one last Thanksgiving and she was staying with me. I was sleeping but she woke up and seconds later I was awake because she had jumped in to my bed and demanded I protect her."

"Last Thanksgiving, she was 29 then right?"

"Yup and she was still running to me for comfort. She's a pain in the ass but I tear up every time I leave her or she leaves me."

"Don't worry Emmett, I'll always take good care of her. Whoa where did that come from?"

"See she's already got what she wanted and it only took her fourteen hours. You may as well go pick out her ring."

"Damn! I wouldn't do that to Grace. I'll let her have the wedding she deserves first. Let her be the center of attention. Also I think it might be a good lesson for Alice to have to wait for something for a change."

"Amen to that!"

The guys returned to the table and delivered the drinks. Alice had a grin on her face and Emmett knew she was up to something. Half an hour latter Grace said she was getting a headache and asked Alice if she'd mind if they left.

"Go ahead Grace, Jasper will keep me company. I'll see you at dinner tomorrow."

Emmett looked at his watch, it was barely past midnight and Alice normally made them stay to close the club down. He gave Alice his I'm on to you look and kissed Grace's hand. "I guess I'll escort my girl back to the hotel. Jasper if she asks for a piggyback ride, ignore her. She picked those heels out and she should live with the consequences."

"Em, shut up! Thank you for my cake Grace."

"You are welcome, see you tomorrow night." Grace didn't say another word until we were outside, "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Alice, she's already worked her magic on Jasper."

"I know, but I don't want to think about it because every scenario ends with him moving down here."

"Grace, I promise you that you'll have so much attention from me that you will barely have time to talk to Jasper."

Grace changed the topic of conversation, "Sorry I'm not drunk. I know you like horny Grace."

"As long as she's with me I like any type of Grace. The Grace I'm with right now is perfectly enchanting."

"The Grace you are with now told you a little lie earlier."

"Naughty girl, what did you lie about?"

"My lingerie, I'm not wearing anything under this dress."

"Are you trying to kill me woman?"

"Lets just say that I wanted to be the center of attention tonight in my own way."

"Ever make love on a boat?"

"No."

"Want to?"

"If it was just us yes but we have a captain so no."

"You're going to get your little wish of having sex on the patio table. That is, if I can wait that long. You better take that little velvet belt off now because I swear I'll rip it off. "

Grace smirked at him, turned her belt to the front and a couple of seconds later she rolled the velvet belt and dropped it in her purse, "Kiss me like you mean it, Cullen."

"I always mean it when I lock lips with you, Hale."

While Grace and Emmett were kissing on the boat, Edward and Rose were making out on the couch in her room. When she started undoing his shirt Edward stopped her.

"Rosalie you have no idea how much I'd like to take you to bed but I have a policy of never taking a drunk woman to bed. You've had too much to drink Rose."

"Edward, would you stay and come to bed with me? It's been too long since I've been held. I'll probably fall asleep in ten minutes."

"Let me go get changed and brush my teeth and I'll be right back."

"Sounds like a good idea, take my room key and let yourself in."

Rose made it in to the bedroom and let the bow holding up the halter tie down and her dress quickly puddled at her feet. She bent down to pick it up but felt dizzy so she sat down on the edge of the bed for a few minutes. Rose thought about just waiting for Edward but decided that while she was certain he'd enjoy the view of her in nothing but a black g-string he wouldn't stay the night. She pulled on a red tank top and the matching red boy shorts and slowly made her way over to the bathroom to use the facilities and brush her teeth. After swallowing two pills and a bottle of water she slid in to bed and waited for Edward to return.

A little after one, Alice announced to Jasper that she wanted to be taken home and put to bed. She was giggling and stumbling along so Jasper picked her up and gave her a piggyback ride back to her shop. He was grateful that she knew where she lived because he didn't have a clue. Edward told him that she could be completely wasted and still give directions, which calmed his nerves a little bit until he heard her in action. He also heard her proposition him several times and he just laughed because she was so drunk. Once they got back to her store, he let them in and locked the door making sure to push the two deadbolts across the door. He carried Alice up the stairs bridal style and lightly tossed her on to the bed. Jasper used the bathroom and came out to find Alice standing there in just her panties and heels.

"Wow, Alice you look very hot and umm your nipples are so hard."

"I was thinking about having your lips on them. It's 1:45 and I'm wide-awake. I want to have some fun."

"Are you sure Alice because you are also drunk?"

"I want you and only you Jasper for the rest of my life. Now come and ravish me."

"Pretty hard to argue with that," Jasper chuckled, pushed her down on the bed and gave her a demanding kiss that was full of his desire for her.


	17. Three Mornings

Grace opened one eye and stretched her body. Emmett's response was to hold her even tighter, one hand on her breast the other on her stomach. Her entire body was sore from her late night and early morning activities. His willpower only lasted until he closed the gate behind them after which he pulled the zipper down on her dress and pushed her up against the gate. Grace wondered if she'd have the outline of the gate indented on her back until Emmett entered her and bit down on a nipple. After he did that, all rational thought left her as she lost herself in pleasure. She didn't remember how she got to the patio table but she remembered how hard it was to hold on to it as Emmett took her from behind. Her body was screaming for the Jacuzzi but she couldn't pry Emmett's arms off her. She finally resorted to pinching his nose to wake him up.

"Ouch, what happened to waking me with kisses?"

"Your vice grip on me made it impossible. Kindly unhand me so I can go soak in the Jacuzzi, my body needs it."

"Gorgeous, why didn't you tell me I was hurting you?"

"You know that fine line between pleasure and pain? Well we walked the line and just as I was going to say something you eased up and I hit pure pleasure. I was not about to stop that. How did we get from the gate to the patio table?"

"With your legs wrapped around me while I was still in you."

"Ah."

"Let me make it up to you Grace…"

"Em, there is nothing to make up…"

"Still let me tend to you. May I suggest we go to mass with Rose and Edward so we can spend the day lounging around here?"

"I'll agree to staying here until lunch but I want another Emmett tour."

"Go get in the Jacuzzi, I'll order us French toast and some coffee."

"Order me a pitcher of orange juice too, please."

"Anything you want, Gorgeous."

Grace pinned her hair up, walked out to the Jacuzzi and settled in the warm water. She moved around a few times until she found a jet that would beat against the small of her back. She found herself arching her back when Emmett took her from behind and he kept her in that position. James would often put his hand on the small of her back and push forcing her to jut her chest out more in public. In direct contrast, Emmett's large hand would sit ever so lightly there, an intimate touch of love instead of a means of control. Grace frowned, why had it taken Emmett to make her realize just how controlling James was? She heard the wheels of the room service cart and quickly erased her frown. As much as she hated to admit it again, Emmett was right; she needed to talk to someone about James to get every last trace of him out of her mind.

"Open wide," Emmett whispered in her ear and she smiled before parting her lips to receive a piece of French toast with Crown Royal syrup. She was about to lick a drop of syrup off her lips when he leaned in and gently kissed it off her lip. He fed her every bite, brought the glass of orange juice up to her lips and perfectly made her coffee before brining it to her lips as well. He had taken care of her every need; she didn't have to lift a finger.

After breakfast, Emmett dropped his blue silk boxers and joined her in the Jacuzzi. He sat opposite her and asked her to put her right foot on his knee. Grace complied and sighed in heavenly bliss when Em started to massage his way up her entire leg.

While Emmett had switched over to Grace's left leg, Edward was just waking up and found his right hand underneath Rose's tank top resting on her stomach. He slowly tried to move it but Rose stopped him.

"Morning, Edward. Your hand is going in the wrong direction," Rose purred before rolling over and straddling Edward's hips. She pulled off her tank top and grinned, "Let's have some fun Edward."

Rose's breasts stopped all logical thought for a minute before he regained his senses, "Rose, I like you and…."

"Edward, don't over think this, just give in and we can have a very pleasurable morning. I don't think we should have sex but let's mess the fuck around."

Edward laughed, "Mess the fuck around? Pretty hard offer to say no to with such luscious breasts inches away from my lips."

"Good, now I suggest you introduce your lips to my nips."

"You're bossy, Rose. Normally, I don't like that in a woman but you wear it well."

"Thanks, my siblings call me the Thorny Bitch behind my back. It doesn't bother me. I use to call Grace, Barbie because James controlled her like she was his own personal doll. She had a strong backbone at work but the second he was around she turned into Stiletto Barbie. Emmett is good for her. I still think we need to get them to slow down their wedding and baby plans but forty years from now they'll still be happily married."

"Rose, you may have been desensitized to be called Bitch but on some level it hurts you. Grace gets Pumpkin and you get Thorny Bitch? Doesn't sound very fair to me."

"I act like a bitch, Edward so I have to have a very thick skin. I rather have my siblings call me a name then tell me how I disappoint them."

I'm officially a pussy for what I'm about to do, Edward thought to himself right before he reached out and pulled Rose on to his chest and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "Rosalie Hale, you are not a Bitch. Is there anyone in your life that you let down that facade for?"

"No," Rose mumbled.

"Then let me in Rose, I promise that I'll do more good than harm. Let me apply for the role of person in your life."

"Person? Edward Cullen you watch Grey's Anatomy?" Rose giggled.

"You have to promise me that you will not share that info with anyone; especially Alice."

"My lips are sealed and I will interview you now if you promise to keep me in your arms."

"That's a promise I can make, " Edward stated before leaving a soft kiss on her forehead.

Rose snuggled into Edward, resting her head in the crook of his neck. Edward was making sweeping patterns on her back with his thumb while his other thumb made a continual path up and down her spine. She knew that if she shut her eyes she'd be asleep in minutes since his ministrations were so soothing. There was something about Edward that drew her in and it dawned on her that she was giving up sex for friendship. "I suppose that you are spectacular in bed, Edward."

"Yes and I'm sure you are mind blowing."

"I'm so good, I should charge for my services."

Edward laughed, "You have a very healthy ego. You remind me of Em in that sense."

"Maybe that's why we get along." Rose laughed back.

"So Rosalie, tell me what hurts you so much that you've built a fort around your heart?"

Rose sighed deeply and wondered where to start, "I guess I should start at the very beginning..."

"A very good place to start. When you read you begin with A-B-C. When you sing you begin with do-re-mi," Edward deadpanned.

Rose slapped at his chest lightly and snorted before responding back with, "Do-re-mi, do-re-mi. The first three notes just happen to be do-re-mi, do-re-mi."

"Sorry couldn't help that, The Sound of Music was very popular in my house."

"Mine too, obviously. I'll be back in a minute I need the powder room."

"It's a loo Rose," Edward chuckled.

"You have lived in England too long, Edward!"

When Rose returned she put her tank top back on, snuggled back into Edward's arms and started talking to him. Edward stroked her back and swore he'd never reveal that she cried for an hour. By the time noon rolled around they were both starving and Edward ordered room service for them. After the warm delicious food and a glass of wine were in her system Rose's emotional exhaustion kicked in and she talked Edward into a nap. She set the alarm so they'd have time to get ready for dinner and drifted off to sleep in his arms.

Just before noon, a small pair of hands roaming his body woke Jasper up. He looked up to see a naked Alice straddling his thighs with a mischievous grin on her face. Alice was a hellcat in bed; her flexibility and insatiability blew his mind as they spent the wee hours of the morning making love several times.

"Alice?"

"I need you inside me Jasper. Would you prefer reverse cowgirl or cowgirl?"

"Cowgirl, I can feast on your breasts. You do realize we missed mass."

"We can go with Edward and Rose. Besides great sex is a religious experience don't you think?"

"I'm not quite sure I'm capable of thought at the moment."

Alice laughed before positioning her body and descending on Jasper. He was very gentle with her but Alice didn't want gentle right now. As his tongue slid across her nipple she moaned and asked him to bite down instead. Jasper nibbled so she reached down and gave his nipple a good pinch.

"Alice! That hurt."

"That's how I like it Jasper. A good bite or pinch then a soothing lick. I like intense sex a bit more than I like making love."

"Alice, I'm not that type of guy."

"I don't mind being tied up with silk scarves."

"Alice, you are a beautiful woman. You weigh next to nothing, I could crush you by mistake."

"You'll find I tend to always want to be on top. Doggy style works for me too; my arms are very strong thanks to my profession. Why don't you bite down and I'll tell you when you've got it perfect? Actually, I'll be moaning but you'll get the idea."

"Alice, I'm sure you've discovered that I have game but I've never been comfortable with biting. If I pinch you and you hiss I'm stopping immediately."

"Fine, just start pinching would ya!" Alice sighed as she picked up her pace knowing Jasper would stop thinking and let his sex drive take over."

Emmett missed Grace getting dressed again and pouted. Grace smiled, gave him a long kiss and pushed the strap of her dress over to reveal a black satin strap.

"Mmm black lace?"

"Hot pink trimmed in black lace."

"Matching thong?"

"Yes but I'm not wearing it."

"You are trying to kill me and ...no I can't sit through a mass knowing that you are bare."

"Fine, I'll put the thong in my purse and slip into it at the restaurant."

"Grace are you really looking for an Emmett tour or are you looking for sex in public?"

"Can't I have both?" Grace responded with a sexy smirk.

"Gorgeous, while I know Venice rather well, it would actually require a call to Alice to even give me a clue where we might be able to go to pull this off."

"Then call her."

"You really want me to call her and tell her that Grace wants to know where she can have sex in public. May I remind you, your brother will probably hear her."

"The Pixie is probably banging my brother as we speak."

"Grace! I did not need that image in my head but now it's too late. No public sex for you, my naughty girl."

"Fine but the thong is staying off."

"Death by Grace," Emmett muttered and gave her ass a playful swat.

"But what a way to go," Grace chuckled.

"Evil Pumpkin, put the thong in your purse and lets get out of here."

Emmett took Grace on a more traditional tour that started with a boat ride all the way up the Grand Canal. They stopped at the Rialto Bridge for a few pictures then disembarked for a look at the Rialto markets. Emmett asked her if she wanted to take a ride on a gondola but Grace was happy with their sleek teak motorboat. Around three, both of their stomachs staged a mutiny and they ended up in a small café savouring Mozzarella di Bufala and fresh tomatoes while sharing white wine. He was pleased that Grace preferred white wine because it was his personal favourite. After a late lunch, they wandered around and found themselves alone in a cobblestone side street with a small bridge a hundred yards away.

Emmett took her hand and swung it merrily until they reached the middle of the bridge. "No sex for you, but how about a make out session in public?"

"I'll take what I can get," Grace purred as she wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned when she felt his hands on her butt. The world could have ended and they would not have noticed as they were happily ensconced in their own little bubble. They came up for air and went right back to kissing. A little old lady finally burst the bubble when she couldn't get past Emmett's linebacker body and gave him a little shove.

"Scusa, scusa!" Emmett replied trying to ignore the dirty look she was giving them.

Grace started to laugh and noticed the time on her watch, "Em, we've been making out for almost two hours we need to high tail it to the restaurant."

Emmett called Alice, told her approximately where they were and she texted him the quickest way to get to the restaurant. They jogged to grab a water taxi and made it to the pizza place ten minutes late. Edward and Rose were sitting together, his arm resting on the back of her chair while Alice was sitting on Jasper's lap as he fed her olives.

"Nice of you to show up, what had you in that part of the city?" Alice asked.

"We took the full Grand Canal tour then went wandering for food and we wandered some more." Grace answered trying to figure out what was going on with Rose and Edward.

"So what did you think of mass at St. Mark's Basilica?" Alice inquired.

"We didn't quite make it. We left to tour at noon. We are going to 6:45 with Ed and Rose," Emmett answered.

"We will be joining you, Short Stuff wouldn't let me out of bed," Jasper laughed.

"Don't call me that, you big blond tree," Alice pouted.

"Ali, you need to come up with a much better nickname for my brother," Grace giggled.

"Well since he use to call girls fillies how about my Stallion?" Alice replied with a wicked gleam in her eye.

Emmett picked up an olive and tossed it right at Alice, "TMI, Pixie!"

Alice started laughing until Edward started tossing olives at her too. "So Eddie, what did you and Rose do today?"

"We stayed in bed most of the day," Rose answered before Edward could say anything.

Grace and Jasper gave their sister a long look and didn't notice any self-satisfied grin while Emmett and Alice noticed no blush on their brother's face. They all came to the same conclusion, that while they may have spent the day in bed there was no sex involved.

Jasper loved the pizza so much that he grabbed the three pieces Rose left before she could offer them to anyone else. Alice promised him they could come back which led to a question about the length of everyone's stay as they walked over to the Basilica.

Grace watched her brother walking with Alice; his arm wrapped right around her tiny body and caught the serene look on his face. She sighed quietly but Emmett still heard her and looked down at her usually happy face. He saw a resigned and profound sadness that made his heart ache for her. He knew what she was thinking, tightened his grip on her hand and stopped to plant a loving kiss on her lips. When Grace didn't respond he knew he'd have to address the issue with her. He quickly checked his watch and told the foursome that they'd catch up with them inside.

"Emmett?"

"Grace, I know you are hurting and I know why. Trust me, you need a few minutes to compose yourself or you'll start crying in the middle of mass."

"I've lost him for good. He's probably already thinking about the logistics of leaving Cambridge. I love your sister but I'm also wishing she would drown in the canal."

"She's too light to drown, believe me I've tried it several times over the years. Alice is a force of nature and she is indestructible."

"Stupid Pixie," Grace muttered.

"She's a stubborn, meddlesome, infuriating Pixie who has an overabundance of love to give. Grace, I love her just as much as you love Jasper so I won't lie to you. The daily e-mails are going to dwindle to once a week, the phone calls to once a month but I promise you that I'm still going to be riding her ass. I won't let them forget about us. I think you've already figured it out, but I'd do anything to make you happy, Gorgeous. Do you really think I'd let him get away with not talking to his little sister?"

"No, but I still want to drown her. If you love me you'll sit on her!" Grace replied with a small smile.

"I've tried that too. Now are you ready to go in there and pray for something other than my sister's death?"

"Being a responsible adult sucks!"

"Why do you think I avoid it like the plague? Stick with me kiddo and you'll always be where the fun is."

"I love you Em."

"I love you too Grace, now lets get going before we are late."

Grace and Emmett made it just in time and slid in to the pew. She smiled when Jasper took her hand and whispered in to her ear, "Ever think we'd be attending mass at the Basilica?"

"Yes actually. The moment you told me that you were going on my honeymoon. I never thought I'd have to wait in line for your affection though."

"Pumpkin, you never have to wait. You just need to be more like Rose now and storm your way in."

"What if I inadvertently step on Alice?"

"Won't happen, she's too fast. Now shush the mass is starting."

Grace rested her head against her brother's arm and smiled. Emmett looked over at them and grinned. Two months therapy tops to get over James, once a week for the rest of her life to get over Jasper leaving, he thought.


	18. Surprise!

When Alice walked into Grace and Emmett's suite and saw her brothers all dressed up and bowls of cashews all over the place she figured they were having cocktails before Jasper took her out to dinner. Then she noticed that the table was set for six and there were two platters of bacon wrapped scallops, one of stuffed mushrooms and another one that held pigs in a blanket.

"Grace?"

"Happy Birthday Alice, Edward is tending bar, Em is the wait staff and I was your chef."

"Jasper!"

"I was the decoy and I must say I did a damn fine job."

"Alice, I decorated the table and the flowers can go home with you."

"Thank you Rose, how did you know I loved lilies so much?"

"Edward told me then I confirmed it with Emmett."

"Thank you all so much for this. I haven't celebrated my birthday on the day in eight years." Alice quickly made her way over to Grace and gave her a long hug, "I know this was your idea. You must have spent the entire day in the kitchen."

"Yes but Em sprung me for lunch before telling me to get back to work," Grace laughed.

Rose picked up the six small plates and handed them out so everyone could start with the appetizers. Alice picked up a bowl of cashews and filled her plate moaning her approval over the stuffed mushrooms. Grace explained that while they weren't on her list they were one of her specialties. Jasper chuckled and told Alice that Grace made an entire pan of them for his birthday ever year.

"Damn these are really good Grace." Emmett agreed as he took three more.

"Em, remember the conversation we had about you not inhaling everything so that everyone else could enjoy dinner? Consider yourself cut off."

"From everything?" Emmett pouted.

"No just the mushrooms but I'm keeping my eyes on the scallops and the cashews." Grace laughed.

Edward made everyone a drink and settled down beside Rose on the couch to eat. When Rose pouched one of his scallops he smiled and popped another one in her mouth when she was finished chewing. Alice looked at Jasper and he simply shrugged his shoulders. He didn't have any idea what was going on between his sister and Edward.

"She's not being a shrew, that's all we should care about," Jasper whispered to Alice.

Once the appetizers were finished except for a few bowls of cashews Grace asked everyone to sit down and put a large salad of fresh deep red tomatoes, basil and tons of bocconcini cheese. She had made sure there would be enough of the delicious egg shaped cheese for everyone. Rose and Edward had found a little café that served lunch when they went out on Monday and fell in love with the balsamic vinegar. It had been aged for thirty years and they knew Grace would love to work with it then send the rest home with Alice. Everyone thought it was incredibly tasty and Alice wanted to kill Edward when he couldn't remember exactly where they got it. Rose giggled and assured Alice that the receipt was still in her purse because she wanted to go back and buy herself a bottle before they left Venice.

"Grace, I'm almost scared to see what our main course is going to be. I haven't had such a meal cooked for me since my parents and Em visited two years ago. I made my poor Mom cook for me every night."

"Funny you should mention your mother because I used two of her recipes."

"No offense, Jasper but can I have Grace's hand in marriage?" Alice asked with a huge grin.

"Back off Pixie she's all mine! Grace belongs to Emmett end of story."

"Belongs? I don't think Grace likes being a belonging, Bro."

"Actually, I don't mind Alice. He can call me his property and I wouldn't care because he is my possession too."

"Grace likes possessive Caveman Em."

"Yes I do. Have you eaten your fill of cheese Em?" Grace asked since he was the only one still eating the salad.

"Bring out Alice's surprise, I'll make room for it."

A few tears ran down Alice's cheeks when Grace placed the lasagna in front of her and handed her a knife and pie server. Jasper wiped the tears off her cheek and gave her a tender kiss.

"You should get the first piece of your Mom's lasagna on your birthday. I hope you don't mind I didn't bother with the garlic bread. I figured with the salad we'd be too stuffed for bread."

"Oh Grace this is just too much, thank you for making this a day I'll never forget."

"You're welcome Alice, I like spoiling those I love with my culinary talents."

Alice served herself and then Emmett took over serving. When Edward took his first bite he recognized it as his mother's recipe but it actually tasted a little better. He wondered if it was just because it had been so long since he last had it but Alice seemed to be taking small bites and savouring each one. It was finally Emmett who spoke up.

"Gorgeous, did you follow the recipe exactly or did you add your own twist to it?

"I chopped up some bocconcini and added it to the ricotta before covering it with grated mozzarella."

"I knew something was different but if you promise not to rat me out, this is better than my Mom's, Grace."

"Thanks Edward, what do you think Alice?"

"I'm in love with your lasagna. You'll have to tell my mom what you did when you meet her."

After the lasagna, Grace brought out small shot glasses of lemon gelato to cleanse the palate. Everyone took their time eating it to help aid their digestion except for Emmett who was eating more of the salad, light on the tomatoes, heavy on the cheese. Grace laughed at him and ruffled his hair affectionately. He truly was a bottomless pit when it came to food.

They all sat around in the living room talking until Jasper pulled Alice outside to give her a thorough kissing. "Ali, can you take some time off and travel the rest of Italy with me?"

"I already planned on it Jasper. I wanted to show your sisters how to shop Milan. Emmett plans on whisking Grace away to the Cinque Terre between Milan and Florence. We'll have plenty of alone time."

"I like the sound of that Alice. I think I better get you back inside for dessert."

"If Grace made me another cake you're going to have a crying girlfriend on your hands."

"It's not cake, but I wouldn't bet against you crying."

Jasper and Alice returned to the suite and Alice noticed one candle sitting on the table. Everyone started singing Happy Birthday on her way over to the table. The second the platter of chocolate chip cookies registered she started crying again. Emmett grabbed his sister and held on to her tightly as he whispered in her ear, "You need to suck it up, Short Stuff and blow out the candle before they are all covered in wax. Grace wouldn't even let me eat one so I'm looking forward to turning in to the Cookie Monster."

Alice laughed and pushed on Emmett until he let her go. She blew out the candle and didn't notice Emmett slip away to get his computer. She was moaning in bliss when she heard her parents singing to her and whipped around to locate them. Edward was holding a computer out to her and right there on the screen were her parents in her Dad's office.

"Happy thirtieth Baby." Esme said wiping a few tears from her eyes.

"Happy birthday my Darling Girl." Carlisle added as he wrapped his arms around his wife.

"Mom! Dad! I'm so happy to see you. Too bad you missed the amazing meal Grace cooked for me. I was just eating one of your cookies Mom."

"I know dear, I sent Grace my recipe."

"Grace was this Skype your idea?"

"Actually, Em and I both thought of it independent of each other. I suggested it and he had already e-mailed the idea to your Mom."

"Did you get our gift yet?"

"No Mom, no missed delivery notices either."

"I'll track it down after we finish celebrating with you. I made cookies for your Dad and I so we could share a toast with you."

"Cool, everyone grab a cookie to toast with," Alice said.

"To Alice on her thirtieth birthday, may this year be filled with sweet moments and true bliss," Esme stated before tapping her cookie on the computer screen. Alice tapped her cookie on Emmett's screen too for both her parents.

"Thank you everyone for sharing this milestone with me. Mom and Dad I'd like to introduce you to my future husband, Jasper Hale."

Jasper almost choked on his cookie and before he could say anything Alice had the screen in his face. "Umm hi Dr. and Mrs. Cullen."

"Hale? Are you Grace's brother Jasper?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes, I am Sir. Alice tells me resistance is futile so I guess I will be your son in law in the future. Right now she's my hyper active girlfriend."

Esme and Carlisle started laughing knowing full well what Alice was like when she got an idea in her mind. "Son, don't let her rush you and whatever you do never let her get her hands on a ton of sugar."

"Also don't let her get wet after midnight or she turns into a Gremlin," Edward added with a big grin.

"Ha, ha, ha I'm not amused," Alice, retorted while everyone started to laugh.

Edward took the computer off Alice and stood beside Rose, "Mom and Dad this is Grace's sister Rosalie."

"Hello Rosalie, you are very pretty. Edward if you tell me you two are engaged I swear…"

Edward snorted, "No Mom, you are not going to have a heart attack. Rose and I are just very good friends. I'm officially the family's Old Maid now."

Esme rolled her eyes at Edward, "Rose, I believe Em told me that you are also an Interior Designer. We will have to get together and pour over each other's portfolio."

"I'd like that Mrs. Cullen."

"Call me Esme, dear and the same goes for you Jasper. Mrs. Cullen is my mother in law."

"Thank you Esme. Do you get to Boston often?"

"Not often, I still have a few friends from college that stayed in Boston. We get together twice a year."

"Mom, Grace is an amazing chef. She is keeping my stomach very happy," Emmett yelled before devouring another cookie.

"Grace, as long as you can keep his stomach full he will do anything for you."

"I've noticed that. I had Jasper bring him gummy bears and he must have two hundred of them happily hibernating in his stomach."

"It's a gummy bears favorite place to be," Emmett replied with a goofy grin.

Esme laughed, "Get him to tell you the story of the one pound gummy bears I brought him back from Vegas in the spring."

"He decapitated one with one bite when he was on Skype with me," Alice giggled.

"Hmm you've got serious gummy bear issues my love. You can never tease me about my pens again."

"It's an understanding. They know they belong in my stomach."

Grace chuckled, "So Esme, would you say withholding gummy bears would be a more effective means of punishment than withholding sex?"

"GRACE!"

"Please Em, I think your mommy has figured out that you have sex."

Esme was laughing so hard there were tears streaming down her face while Carlisle tried to keep a straight face but couldn't help laughing too. Once Esme calmed down a bit she was able to speak, "Grace, he has stashes of them everywhere. I went over to his apartment yesterday to collect the mail and decided to make myself a cup of tea. He had a bag of them in the tea tin. I finally found tea and he had another bag in the teapot! He is seriously addicted to them and chocolate covered blueberries."

"Yes he told me about the Brookside, I love them too. So I guess sex is my biggest weapon."

"Sex is always a women's greatest weapon," Carlisle replied before leaving a kiss on his wife's neck. He was about to say something else when his beeper went off. "Got to go, I love you Short Stuff and happy birthday again."

"Thanks, I love you too Dad, now go save a life."

Alice took the computer over to the couch and continued talking to her mom for another half hour until everyone said good night to her. Grace packed up the lasagna for Alice and Rose put the flowers in the top of the bag. Emmett smiled when he noticed the salad and cookies were still on the table and he sat down to eat some more bocconcini.

"The night is still young, why don't we all go back to my place?" Alice suggested.

"I'm wiped Alice, I see a hot bath and bed in my immediate future," Grace responded.

"Do you want to come see my studio Rose?"

"Edward?" Rose asked.

"Sure, I'll go with you to make sure you get back here safely."

"So what are the plans for tomorrow?" Jasper asked.

"Why don't we meet here around 3 and we can go to the spa," Rose suggested.

"We can hang out poolside while you are gone then head over to have pizza for dinner."

"Pizza again Em?" Alice questioned, "Did you forget about Milan already?"

"I really liked that pizza, Alice. I don't mind going back." Rose stated.

"You can get pasta, Pixie," Edward added.

"Fine, pizza it is again. I'll see you around three Grace. Thank you so much for everything, this was my best birthday ever!" Alice gave Grace and her brother huge hugs and giggled when Emmett kissed the tip of her nose.

"I like the idea of you naked and wet then getting you into bed." Emmett said as soon as Alice was out of sight.

"Em, I want to soak in the tub alone. Cooking all day in five-inch heels is not such a good idea. My back is aching. I'd love it if you would read to me while I was in the tub. You get to see me naked and wet and I get to relax."

"The Jacuzzi would be a better idea then."

"Probably, but I want a hot bath."

"What my Lady wants, my Lady shall have even though she's frustrating me to no ends!"

"Aww Em, I love you so much. How about I give you half an hour to undress me."

"Step out of those damn shoes this instant."

Grace happily complied and put them back in the closet. She walked over towards the bed where Emmett was standing and he put his arms around her and yanked on the zipper. Her dress pooled at her feet and he whistled when he saw her standing there with just a thin white lace thong.

"Grace as much as I like that green and white dress and its association with the train this is the look I'll always remember."

"Since that took you all of thirty seconds you still have 29 and a half minutes to get my thong off."

"Baby, I plan on getting you off for the next 29 minutes," Emmett whispered as he leaned over, pulled her thong down her legs, picked her up and placed her at the end of the bed.

By the time Emmett was finished with her she had experienced multiple orgasms and felt like goo. She had a huge grin on her face and the wildest case of sex hair she'd ever had. "Em where are you going?"

"To get your brush in the bathroom; you look like the Bride of Frankenstein."

"Such sweet words, you Big Oaf!"

Grace rolled her eyes when she heard him belly laughing in the bathroom, "Seriously Babe, come look at your hair if you don't believe me."

"I can feel it, I don't need to see it."

Emmett came out and made her sit down on her knees on the bed. He sat down behind her and gently brushed her hair until it was smooth once more. "Don't fall asleep on me, I still want to see you naked and wet."

"Well I'm naked and you sure as hell made me wet," Grace replied giving him a sexy smirk.

"You know what I mean Miss Hale. Now get thee into the tub while I search for my glasses."

"They are in the vanity table drawer, Mr. Cullen."

"Do you want me to continue with the love poems?"

"No, why don't we start something new."

"Do you have any porn on your tablet?"

"What? Emmett!"

"I'm serious Alice does. She says that erotica serves the mind and it's a woman's biggest erogenous zone."

"You and Alice have some twisted conversations."

"We were each others best friend so the sibling bond slipped easily and we became two best friends talking about anything and everything. I know way too much about Alice's body, she's getting her period at the end of the week."

Grace started laughing, "How long have you known her cycle?"

"Since she was fifteen and got it when I was the only one home. I found my mom's tampons, gave the Pixie the instructions and then Mom hit me upside the head for giving her tampons for her first cycle. How was I to know I should have gone out to buy her pads."

"So I assume you'll be keeping track of my cycle too?"

"Yes but you said yours was a little screwed up so I'll have to pay more attention."

"Did Alice tell you about her first time?"

"She came to me to ask for condoms. I gave her a little talk about being sure because you never get your first time back then handed them over. Alice didn't end up having sex that night but she did the following week and broke up with him a month later."

"How old was she?"

"Seventeen, he was almost nineteen."

"Okay now I know too much about Alice's sex life and yes I have erotica on my Kindle. I've read them all though."

"That's OK I'm sure you'll like my reading. Pick one."

It's under "the" look for Unidentified Redhead. The main character's names are Grace and Jack. It's funny as hell smut."

"Funny smut? I think I like it already. Go fix your bath and I'll find it."

Grace had pinned her hair up, poured the jasmine scented bath salts in and sat in a very warm bath waiting for Emmett to join her. She laughed when he walked in with the bag of gummy bears and her Kindle.

"I told you to hide these from me. Sitting on the floor wasn't a very clever place."

"At the time, I didn't realize they needed to be treated like endangered species."

"Gorgeous, after your bath… well would you let me cover your naked body in bears so I could eat them off you?"

"You want me to be the killing ground?"

"I prefer to call it the hibernation gathering space."

"Em, I'm starting to think I'm not the only one who could use some therapy."

"Ha, ha I promise I won't get you sticky. Please?" Emmett asked cocking his head to the right and giving her his sad puppy dog face.

"You do realize that I will more than likely mention this to both Esme and Alice at some point when we are together and drinking."

"Thank you, Grace," Emmett responded with a huge dimpled grin and started to read the novel.

While Emmett and Grace were busy in the bathroom their siblings were still on a boat heading to Murano. Alice was sitting on Jasper's lap kissing him like her life depended on it. Neither of them was paying attention to Rose who was cuddled around Edward and leaving gentle kisses on his jaw.

"Friends can make out on the empty boat coming back can't they?" Rose asked softly.

Edward turned his head a fraction of an inch and captured her lips in a long slow kiss, "Does that answer your question?"

"Friends with limited benefits," Rose whispered in his ear.

"Rose, don't feel like you have to label what we have. Our relationship is constantly evolving taking steps forward and back at our whim. Who cares if the four of them want to know what's going on between us? It's none of their business."

"What about our plan to talk some sense into Grace and Emmett?"

"We can share our concerns but really I see now that it's none of our business either. Pixie you need to let Jasper up for some air or he's going to pass out on you."

"Shut up, Eddy," Alice giggled as Jasper tilted her for another kiss.

"Can we spend the night together again?" Rose inquired.

"I'd like that. Do you want to workout with me before lunch?"

"That's a very good idea, I can't afford to gain any weight since my clothes are already too tight for me."

"Rose your body is perfect but I have to agree that you tend to wear very tight clothes."

"I'm more conservative at work because Grace demands it."

"How can you work with your sister? I'd murder Alice before the first day was over and Em would be gone a few days later."

Rose chuckled, "She's actually a pretty good CEO. She never horns into my work; she just wants to know what I'm working on. Grace is great at giving positive feedback and she has an amazing eye for color. I always show her my finished design to see if she can add any accents."

"I bet she adds plants, vases or flowers."

"Usually, but on my last project she suggested a small area rug that was red with blue, white and green designs and it made the entire room come alive. The clients actually told me I was brilliant. She never takes credit but she smiles when I tell her how happy it makes the clients."

"Will you be able to work with Em in your office?"

"The constant grins on both of their faces and the terms of endearment will probably drive me crazy so I'll call Grace to come see me instead of going to see her. I'll be avoiding them as a couple. You'll be able to walk into Em's office from hers so on day one I'm going to teach them a big lesson on pulling the blinds right down and locking the doors."

"You may never see them at lunch time again," Edward laughed.

"Oh they will be professional the first day, maybe even the second day but by day three either Grace or Emmett will be on their backs."

"So true, remind me to never touch anything in Grace's office," Jasper said out of nowhere.

"Hey, how long have you been listening to us?" Edward asked.

"Since I heard my name and murder in the same sentence. I'd kill you before you could kill me Eddy." Alice replied. "Emmy and I couldn't work in the same office but we could easily work on the same floor."

"Edward does it bother you knowing that while Alice loves you; her love for Em is in an entirely different league?" Jasper asked.

"No, Alice is way too high maintenance for me. Emmett is really the only one of us who has enough patience to deal with her. Growing up even my parents would steer her towards Em. As soon as she started talking it was Emmett she'd go to."

"That is true. Some days, I'd be dying to tell Em something or get his opinion and it would crush me when he wasn't home. I'd try Edward but he was rarely helpful. He'd track Em down for me though."

"Anything so I wouldn't have to listen to you, Pixie. Jasper you'll find that Alice never asks a simple question. There is a story followed by a four-part question with hypotheticals. The questions can even have their own story. Somehow Emmett could always follow everything, make sense out of it and give her whatever she needed."

"That skill will be very helpful to Grace. My sister is and has always been very dependant on me. She thinks I have all the answers and doesn't take it very well when I don't. Rosie comes to me occasionally but she doesn't generally second-guess herself. Grace plays the what if game often but I'm actually astounded by how sure she is of Emmett. I couldn't change her mind or even make her rethink the timing if I tried."

"Why the hell didn't the two of you keep her from being engaged to the scumbag?"

"Grace's brain was clouded by the sex. She willfully ignored all the signs and told us she didn't want to hear a word about him. She's shared more with Emmett than she ever shared with me and from the little Em told me he controlled her with verbal abuse," Jasper answered.

"She didn't tell you because you would have killed him and gone to prison. I know Em would have dismembered any guy that fucked me over," Alice replied.

"I would have helped Jasper kill him. I never liked him, he was always mentally undressing me."

"Well Sis…."

"Shut up Jasper, I know you don't approve of my wardrobe choices. I'd like to point out for the record though that it was Grace looking all innocent but …" Rose's brain finally caught up with her mouth and she stopped talking.

"What?" Jasper questioned.

"Nothing, I was going to take a crack at Grace but decided not to."

"Grace said you were a very loyal sister. She'd be happy to know you didn't make fun of her," Alice stated.

"How far is Murano? I feel like we've been on this boat forever," Rose muttered.

"We should be at the closest dock to me in five minutes."

"Do you want to tell me what you really were going to say when we are alone tonight?" Edward whispered into Rosalie's ear.

"Maybe," Rose rested her head against Edward's shoulder until they pulled up to the dock and he helped her off the boat.

"Alice is a pain in the ass but she's an extremely talented artisan," Edward said quietly.

"Welcome to my world Rose."


	19. Milan Bound

"Stupid siblings who the hell asked for their opinion?" Emmett grumbled.

"I know, it's our bloody honeymoon not theirs," Grace concurred.

"Both of you stop bitching, we are not spending all day on the train when we can be there in an hour on the plane!" Alice proclaimed.

"Alice the train takes three hours and the stupid plane takes twenty minutes more because of the stop in Rome. Em and I are taking the train end of discussion," Grace asserted.

"Alice, the train is the more romantic way to travel," Jasper said calmly.

"We are getting on a train Jasper not the Orient Express, " Alice huffed.

"Ah but you've never traveled on a train with me before."

"He's got you there Pixie," Emmett laughed.

"The express train takes two and a half hours, I just looked it up on my phone and one leaves almost every hour," Edward added.

"I hope they have a first class," Rose stated.

"Meet the real, Rosalie Hale, Edward," Jasper said with a grin.

"Ignore him, Edward, I always do."

Emmett looked at Grace and started laughing because that was exactly what she said about Rose. The concierge tried the door but when no one answered he let himself in and followed the sound of laughter and voices out to the pool.

"Miss Hale, sorry for letting myself in but I need to check you out. The suite is booked for tonight."

"Sorry about that. Em we have to check out now which means you have to check out too Edward and Rose."

"We cancelled Rose's room a few days ago but there is the matter of my room which I bet I have to go to the main lobby for."

"I'm afraid so Mr. Cullen, I only have the Palladio Suite on my tablet. You can leave your luggage here as I assume you are all taking the boat to the train or airport."

"Train Station and I think it's best we go to the dining room since Grace is going to fight me over the remaining bill."

"You are not paying the whole thing Emmett!"

"Jasper would you mind joining us? I'd ask you Edward but I think Miss Hale would feel like we Cullens were ganging up on her."

Grace smiled smugly assuming she'd get exactly what she wanted. Twenty minutes later she hit Jasper in the arm while Emmett was surrendering his credit card. As soon as he was done signing, she swatted him in the arm too. Emmett rolled his eyes at his girl and kissed her on the tip of the nose as Jasper fled the room. Grace handed her credit card over with a frown and signed her name.

The concierge shook his head at both of them, "Thank you very much for staying with us. I hope you enjoyed your visit and we look forward to seeing you again. I'll send a bell hop to gather everyone's bags in about ten minutes."

"Boy are they ever anxious to get us out of here," Emmett laughed.

"We were lucky we could extend our stay without having to switch rooms. It's a good think Alice could ship everything from her shop and that amazing balsamic vinegar to my parents. It would be heavy and take up so much space in my third suitcase. Now I have room for shoes and clothes."

"Why do I have the distinct feeling that you already have enough shoes to keep several women in heels for a lifetime?"

"A girl can never have too many shoes Emmett!" Alice proclaimed as she entered the suite. "You swatted my boyfriend Grace?"

"I hit my brother which is well within my sisterly rights. I hit, I don't kick shins Alice."

"Emmett! You had to tell her that?"

"I told Jasper as well, the guy deserves to know when he needs to jump back or make a quick escape since he'll be my brother in law. You don't seem concerned that Grace hit me too."

"I'm sure you deserved it Emmy." Alice replied before walking back outside.

Grace laughed and ignored the pout on Emmett's face. They brought their luggage outside and then Emmett picked her up and dropped her on the bed, covering her body with his instantly. "Ten more minutes to make memories in here."

"Em, I need the bathroom. We've made a lifetime of memories in this suite already and we will be coming back in less than a year."

"Spoil sport! Where did you put my gummy bears?"

"I packed them away for the journey. I think you can survive until we get to Milan without them." Grace didn't notice the look on his face as she scrambled from underneath him and headed to the bathroom.

The train trip to Milan was uneventful. Half way through the journey, Grace went in to her purse and pulled out a bag that contained about fifty gummy bears. After warning, Em to eat them slowly because the rest of them were checked in the luggage rack she sat back and watched him grin like a six year old as he popped the bears into his mouth whispering it was hibernation time. Jasper fell asleep on Alice who had kept him up until six fooling around. Rose and Edward watched the green hills of the Italian countryside speed by and talked about striking out on their own to see Milan once they arrived at the hotel.

Grace had insisted on five star hotels when booking her honeymoon so they would be staying at another Dorchester Collection hotel. This time it was the newly renovated Hotel Principe Di Savoia Milano. She'd called them once her siblings arrived to change the dates on her booking and add two more rooms. The new Ambassador Junior Suites featured a bedroom and living room space that was in perfect balance; the decorations were rich and extremely luxurious, created in the trendy tones of cream and violet. The bathroom was large and inviting stocked with fine toiletries while the closets were refined in genuine leather. Each junior suite was about 500 square feet and included an interactive LCD television and Wi-Fi Connection.

After checking in to their room Edward and Rose decided to check out the spa and fitness center. Located on the top floor of the hotel, with a roof terrace overlooking the city, Club 10 Fitness and Beauty Centre was the most exclusive health club in Milan. The 5000 square feet facility included: a heated swimming pool, fully equipped fitness centre, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam bath, solarium, five massage rooms and changing rooms equipped with marble showers. The fitness centre made them both drool as it contained high tech machines including a treadmill, bike, recumbent bike, Syncro elliptical trainer and weight-training equipment. All the machines include headphones linked to a personal television and radio. Rosalie pointed out the bar and they each got a light snack and drink then headed out on to the terrace to look at the city and plan their workout schedule.

Jasper and Alice's junior suite was on a different floor from the rest of their siblings because there was not a free empty room on that particular non-smoking floor. Jasper kicked his shoes off and flopped down on the bed as soon as the door closed. Alice unpacked her suitcase, checked out the toiletries in the bathroom and added her own personal cosmetics. Jasper was in a deep sleep so she unpacked his suitcase and put his shaver and toothbrush and paste beside her stuff in the bathroom. Much to her consternation, everyone else had agreed that they would meet up for breakfast. The stores were still open for an hour and it was killing her to not be in them. Jasper snored loudly and she realized that no one was around to watch her theatrics so she left a note for Jasper and headed up two floors two see what Emmett and Grace were up to.

As soon as the door closed Grace left all her luggage there, locked the door and started stripping leaving her clothes in a trail to the bathroom. Emmett followed her closely getting more excited as each layer of clothing was shed. She was ten feet from the bathroom and naked when he grabbed her and kissed her hard, his large hands cupping her butt cheeks.

"I swear if you are going to tell me you want to take a bath alone…" Emmett growled before latching his mouth on to her shoulder giving her a hungry kiss.

Grace could feel how hard Emmett was since he had her pressed against him so she popped the buttons on his jeans and tried to pull them down but his grip on her was too tight. "Em, a little help here, you've got me in a ass lock."

"So I get to join you in the tub?"

"Em, I want to fuck you in the tub!"

"You know we really need to do something about that filthy mouth of yours."

"Please, I know you love it because I use it properly, not just because I can't think of a better word. Now stop distracting me and get naked."

"As you wish." Emmett replied with a huge dimpled grin that made Grace weak in the knees. She watched him take off his shirt and admired the muscles from his neck right down to his toes and grinned at him.

"Do you want to know what my favorite part of your body is Em?"

He looked at her smugly and smirked, "I think I know already but why don't you kiss it to see if I've got it right?"

Grace rolled her eyes and took the few steps she needed to plant a long slow kiss right in the middle of his heart. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a feather light kiss on her lips. "Grace, the day you don't feel that way is the day I've failed you."

"Em, I don't think that day will ever come."

"Gorgeous, I'm not always the easiest person to live with especially when The Bears are playing."

"Em, I'm going to wear you out. I know Jasper told you I was emotionally high maintenance. You saw what I was like at check out time."

"That was nothing. You forget I've been the lead and often only agent on the Pixie case for thirty years now. I'm pretty good at handling and meeting the needs of drama queens with attitude."

Grace giggled, "Wait a sec, how did we go from about to fuck in the tub to talking about Alice?"

"I distracted you with my hot bod and then your mind, forced mine to end up dealing with my sister. You tub now!" Emmett replied changing in to his caveman voice for the last part, which made her laugh as he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.

Alice's knocks were ignored as they broke in the bed, testing it to see if it was as comfortable as the Cipriani's. Emmett kept claiming he couldn't tell until Grace figured out his horny little game and demanded that he kissed every inch of her body.

"You realize you're not really punishing me don't you? There is nothing on this earth I love more than ravishing you."

"Then get to it Mr. Cullen."

"As you wish."

"Em?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, my Buttercup."

"Em, do you have….."

"Yes Princess Bride is on my Kindle. Is it on yours?"

"Of course, I think we found our next literary venture."

"You mean your bedtime story."

"Yes except instead of tucking me in, I get to cuddle into you."

Emmett took note of the pure contentment on Grace's face and smiled hoping he'd get the answer he wanted. "Grace right now would you rather be ravished or read to?"

"Ravished, fed, and then read to in that order."

"Great answer Grace."

"Why don't we order dinner and ask them to bring it in an hour."

"Let me go get the room service menu." After quickly looking at the offerings Emmett went with the priced fixed menu for September for them both.

A little over an hour later, Emmett jumped in his jeans to answer the door. He didn't know where his wallet was to tip the young lady who was devouring him with her eyes.

He spotted Grace's purse and took thirty Euros out, thanked her and closed the door. As he was placing her wallet back he noticed a piece of paper and had to look at it.

Things to do in Milan

4 pairs of shoes

dresses

skirts

lingerie

gummy bears

"God I love this woman," Emmett whispered to the room before rolling the cart in to the bedroom.


	20. Alice's Not So Little Shopping Plans

Rose woke up to discover that Edward had a hand underneath each breast. She turned around in his arms and looked at the smile on his face and wondered for the hundredth time why she didn't have sex with him. It's really a crime to not sleep with someone that gorgeous and decent she thought. After they had left the rooftop patio they decided to go for a stroll and ended up in a little café eating fresh pasta and enjoying a rich chocolate gelato that had them both moaning their approval much to the owners delight. They continued their stroll after dinner until Edward confessed he had no idea where they were.

Rose pulled up her skirt a little bit, stuck her leg out and whistled loudly when she saw a taxi coming towards them. Edward laughed at her until the taxi stopped right in front of her. Once they were comfortable inside it took them both to spit out the name of the hotel. Milano Principe Hotel di Savia is what they settled on and the driver laughed before inquiring if they meant the Hotel Principe di Savoia Milano.

"Yes, that's it! "Rose proclaimed before leaving a kiss on Edward's cheek, "We are no longer lost."

"Bed or Bar?" Edward asked.

"Bar," Rose answered hoping that a slightly tipsy Edward would want to try out third base.

They both left the colourful Principe bar half an hour before it closed. They had been drinking wine and cocktails and were both drunk. Edward was not stopping Rose in the elevator ride up to their suite as she licked and kissed the juncture where his neck and shoulder met.

Rose kicked off her heels and had her top and skirt off in record time. Edward turned around from locking up for the night to see her in a lacy blue bra and a tiny matching thong. Rose popped the front clasp on her bra and threw it at him.

"Rose?" he asked while licking his lips and burning the sight of her bare breasts into his memory for eternity.

"The girls are lonely. They want to be kissed, sucked and manhandled. Please Edward."

Edward sat down in the armchair in the living room to clear his head not expecting Rosalie to straddle him and thrust her breasts at his face. When Rose planted her hands on his knees and leaned back even further he watched her nipples pebble in anticipation and every ounce of will power he had disappeared. Rose got exactly what she wanted and then she made sure Edward's needs were taken care of. Edward was astonished at how skilled her hands were as she gave him the best hand job he had ever experienced.

After Edward was capable of thought again, he moved them to the bed. They rolled around it groping and kissing each other until sleep finally claimed Rose and Edward shortly after.

Jasper woke up the same general way he had every morning since meeting Alice. This time her hands were braced on his shoulders as she rose and plunged down on him. Alice believed that every day should start with good sex and Jasper couldn't be bothered thinking of a counter argument. He was starting to understand why Emmett told him that most of the time it was just easier to do what Alice wanted than fight her. Jasper also thought there were worse ways to wake up than having a great orgasm.

"Good morning Pix."

"I guess it beats being called after a gourd."

"A pumpkin is actually a squash I think."

"I'm clearly not screwing you hard enough if you can think coherently."

Jasper grinned and gave her his best smile; "I'm just getting use to my fantastic new alarm clock. I can function a bit better now."

"If you can function why the hell am I doing all the work? Flip me and get to work Mr. Hale!"

Jasper glanced at the clock and tossed Alice on to her back before he changed his mind and moved her on to her stomach and pulled her down the length of the bed. "Get on all fours Miss Cullen. Let's see how strong those arms really are."

Alice smirked to herself and followed directions. She wasn't expecting Jasper to impale her right away and the pace he kept had her fingers grasping on to bedding for dear life. Until then Jasper, had been rather gentle to her despite her pleas for more. Now he giving her exactly what she wanted and she wondered if she'd be able to walk properly. Jasper didn't know what came over him when he decided to swat her ass.

Alice inhaled quickly then nearly purred, "Fuck yes, again!"

"Really? You are a kinky girl."

"I'm a very kinky girl Jasper. Slap me harder!"

Jasper looked at the clock again, slapped her a few more times and then watched her entire body shudder as he brought her over the edge. Alice urged him to continue on and it wasn't long before he found his own release, which brought Alice a second smaller orgasm.

Alice looked at the clock and groaned, "We have half an hour to be downstairs."

"We can share a shower to save time."

"No monkey business, Hale"

"Ha, you are the one who engages in monkey business, Cullen."

"Shut up and move that fine ass of yours," Alice scolded as she made her way to the bathroom knowing she needed to take some painkillers.

Grace woke up to feathery light kisses on her stomach that made her giggle and Emmett sigh happily. She wasn't in his arms but she was naked and laughing.

"Good morning, Gorgeous"

"Morning, Em. May I have a proper kiss?"

"As you wish," he replied as he moved up the bed, hovered over her and left a long sultry kiss on her lips.

"Em, you have to be the most romantic man on the planet."

"Why thank you pretty lady but once you really know me you'll notice I have an idiotic and childish side."

"I love your childish side and I can put up with idiotic if you can handle anal and demanding."

"You demand anal?" Emmett teased expecting the slap on his arm that he received.

"Cute, Cullen. I'm no amateur but the thought of anal kind of scares me."

"The thought of it makes me cringe. Emmett Jr. likes to be clean."

Grace started to laugh until she thought about it and got the willies. "What time do we have to meet the rest of them?"

"We have time to have a nice warm bath together. I'll wash your hair if you'll do mine."

"You make me so sleepy when you wash my hair."

"I know, when your finger tips start massaging my scalp, I swear I'm in heaven."

"So tell me how does shopping with Alice go?" Grace asked as she cuddled up to Emmett for a few more minutes.

"Usually I sit outside the store playing games on my cell or sometimes I can sit inside. Alice shops and dumps her bags on me for several hours. She rewards me with lunch and sends her purchases back to the hotel in a cab. The afternoon is the same and we go back to my favourite pizzeria for dinner."

"You really love pizza," Grace said stressing the really part.

"I'd marry it if I could."

"Luckily for you, I can live with a husband whose mistress is pizza."

Emmett kissed her shoulder and a thought occurred to him, "Grace, could you model what you are thinking of buying for me?"

"Sure but you'll get bored. You'll have Edward and Jasper to talk to this time."

"I rather watch you. I like seeing you all dressed up and then I think about undressing you."

Grace blushed, "You can be my dedicated zipper man."

"I prefer the term zipper operator," Emmett teased.

She looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled softly, "God, I love you Mr. Cullen."

"I love you too, my soon to be Mrs. Cullen."

It was Grace's turn to sigh happily, "I guess we better get out of bed and into the tub."

Emmett ran the water and filled the tub while Grace grabbed everything they would need. He got into the warm water first and she settled between his legs as he used the soap and a washcloth to clean her entire body. Grace turned around to clean his front then carefully made her way behind him to wash his back. He turned the water on again and filled two glasses with fresh water. Grace used one to wet his hair before giving him a five-minute hair wash/massage and used the other glass to get rid of the suds. He had to fill two more glasses until she was satisfied enough of the conditioner was out. Emmett repeated the process for her and asked if he could apply her apple body butter for her. Grace was happy to let him take further care of her until she noticed the time. She hurried him up, grabbed a thong and quickly decided on a light blue cotton wrap dress. The dress was easy to get in and out of which was exactly what she wanted for a day that was going to be spent shopping.

Edward and Rose were very quiet over breakfast, still recovering from hangovers. Alice was sitting still for a change waiting for the Advils she took to fully kick in. Grace could tell from the look on Jasper's face and the sunglasses on Rose what they had been up to. She whispered to Emmett what she concluded and he chuckled loudly earning him a scowl from Rose and a hissed shut up from Edward. Jasper and Emmett kept a running conversation going sharing stories of young Grace and Alice. Grace gave Jasper the stink eye a few times but she was happy to just watch the two most important men in her life talk while she ate. Alice tried kicking Emmett under the table a few times but he was too far away and the movement hurt. She resorted to tossing little packs of whipped butter at his head; most of which missed him and ended up on the table, his lap or on the floor behind him.

"Pixie, don't make a mess that the poor waiter is going to have to clean up. You're thirty, act like it!" Edward grumbled as one almost hit Rose.

Grace took a large sip of orange juice, "So Alice how exactly are we going to fit shopping the best of Milan into one day?"

"You can't shop Milan in a day!" Alice replied aghast.

"Well Emmett and I are leaving in two more days and I want to see the city too."

"Plans have been made, personal shoppers are waiting and one does not cancel an appointment at a design house!"

"Alice they won't care if they have one less ass to kiss," Emmett stated.

"We were only going to shop on Via Montenapoleone today. Miss Sixty is opening early for us then we have an appointment with Dior followed by Emilio Pucci and Fratelli Rossetti. After lunch we have appointments at Armani and Gucci then we are moving over to Via Sant'Andrea for Chanel, Versace then Jimmy Choo. Tomorrow is Fendi, Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana and Roberto Cavalli. I wanted you to see Venini because it features lots of my work and you'd love La Rinascente's lingerie collection. All of this is three days worth of shopping."

"Alice, I'm not a fan of Rossetti because their heels aren't high enough for me. I can shop most of the other designers in Boston or New York. I'd love to go to both Venini and La Rinascente though."

"We are not changing today and that is final! I can check to see if I can move Venini to tomorrow but…"

"Ali, isn't Rinascente on Piazza Duomo?" Emmett asked.

"Yes."

"I can work that into my tour, Gorgeous. They even have a combination deli and food hall, with a several small cafés, an outdoor terrace cocktail bar and restaurant with some of the best views of the city."

"Why am I sure the only reason you remember where it is located is because of the food?" Grace laughed.

"That would be because you know me so well," Emmett laughed back.

"Grace, sure you can go to Roberto Cavalli at home but you don't get a private appointment!" Rose snapped.

"I'm not telling you that you can't go Rose. I'm saying I rather skip some of this shopping to see the sites."

Alice glared at Grace and asked the waiter for the check so they could leave. Once it arrived, she charged breakfast to Grace's room and ordered them out the door to the waiting limo.

"You just had to piss Alice off?" Jasper asked his sister wearily.

"Oh like you want to spend three days shopping?"

"No but indulging Alice means Alice indulges me."

"Is the sex that good Jasper?" Grace whispered.

"Hale yes," Jasper replied with a huge grin that made Grace roll her eyes and pick up her pace to catch up to Emmett.

"I've lost my brother to the Sex Pixie."

"Thanks for that mental image, I need brain bleach again. Then again can you blame him, Gorgeous? I'd do anything you wanted for the sex too."

Grace slugged Emmett "Ugh, Em you are such a guy!"

Today is far too dramatic for the headache I have and it's barely started, Edward thought as the doorman closed the limo door.


	21. En Pointe

Alice was so mad that she didn't say one word in the limo drive from the hotel to Via Montenapoleone. Edward and Emmett enjoyed the rare silence from their sister while the Hales didn't know that a beyond furious Alice was a silent Alice. The car stopped at Miss Sixty and Alice yelled at everyone to get out.

"Pixie, if this is going to be your attitude all day Grace and I are leaving now. I can find pizza on my own," Emmett threatened.

"Alice, I'm happy to shop with you but please no yelling. I've got a wicked hangover," Rose explained.

Alice gave Grace a dirty look then knocked on the glass door. They were warmly greeted and Alice took Rose's arm and followed behind the manager and two sales associates. Grace smiled at the pretty redhead and told her she'd wave her hand if she needed help. She went to the sixty percent off sign and started looking. Emmett noticed jeans and pulled out a black pair that he thought she would look good in.

"You know Gorgeous, I fell in love with you in jeans and I haven't seen them since. I'm a jeans and T loving guy. I shouldn't be so gaga over a fashion maven like you."

"Em, I wear jeans at home after work. It's been too hot to wear them here. I like skinny jeans but those are second skin ones. Look for a boot or trouser cut."

Grace found a few tops, several cute little skirts, a ¾ sleeve little black sweater with just one button and a couple of faux leather sleeveless dresses with thin matching belts that she liked. She followed the redhead to a changing room and tried on the red faux leather dress. Grace strutted out the door to find Emmett slack jawed and holding a pair of blue jeans.

"Do you like?"

"You look hot but the dress is actually a respectable length and tight without being too tight. I hope you are buying it. Oh I found these jeans, the label seems to be what you wanted."

Grace looked at the tag they were called: Slim Trouser Jeans and featured 5-pockets, a slim fit, low waist, tight leg and straight bottom. She smiled wickedly to herself as she changed out of the dress and put the jeans on. She paired them with the little black sweater that featured a bow at the top button and fell mid waist. Grace looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. I'd actually wear this out in Boston if Emmett were there to keep the men away she thought.

"I like this Em, what do you think?"

Emmett had been looking at a scratch on his hand so he looked up her body and stopped when he saw almost half her breasts thanks to the single clasp at the neck." Oh my god!"

"This is how I do overtly sexy in public, Mr. Cullen. I'll wear it home if you'd like. I will wear it out grocery shopping and to a bar when we get back to Boston."

"Grace it shows way too much skin!"

"I show more skin in my bikini."

"We both know your bikini is just very tiny triangles and string. Maybe if your wore a black bra under it."

"Nope, going to wear it like this, I'll just use double sided tape to make sure it doesn't move. Rose what do you think?"

Rose followed her sister's voice and met her mid store. She checked her sister out and smiled, "Sexy sis, I'm sure Em loves it."

"Em doesn't think it should be worn in public."

"Emmett she will wear it in public but don't worry she will only wear it when you are around to keep the creepers away. Edward what do you think?" Rose asked.

Edward looked up from his phone and grinned at his younger brother, "Nice boobs Grace."

"Thanks Ed."

"Jasper, help a brother out would ya?"

"Em, just be happy her entire breasts are not on display. Remind me to tell you about pub night Grace."

"Jasper that was twelve years ago! I think it's time to retire that story." Grace whined

Emmett could only imagine what a twenty-year-old Grace was up to given what she'd told him about her college years. "Woman you really are going to kill me."

Grace laughed, sauntered over to Emmett and placed a chaste kiss on his lips while pushing her breasts closer together to tease him further."

"Grace what do you think of this dress I'm wearing?" Rose asked.

The dress actually looked like a blouse and skirt but when Grace got closer she noticed she could see her sisters breasts through the blouse part. "You'd need to wear a cami under it for work."

"I know but I like it. It's fun yet sophisticated."

"Try something else on Grace," Emmett sighed.

Grace went back to the change room and picked up a black lace skirt and kept her sweater on. "How about this for the first time I meet your parents?"

Emmett stocked towards her and pushed her back into the change room and flicked the lock. "You are being a very naughty girl today. I suggest you behave or I'm going to have to discipline you."

"I like how you discipline me, Em."

"Do you really want your siblings and mine plus the store staff listening to you scream while I screw your brains out?"

"I can be fairly quiet when I want to be," Grace lied. She knew Emmett wouldn't go through with it in public. He probably wouldn't care about the siblings but the strangers would be too much for him.

"Are you done in here?" Emmett asked exasperated.

"Yes."

"Then go pay for your clothes while I take up the redhead's offer of coffee."

"Get me one too please, you know how I like it."

Grace came back with two bags that had been tied together with a yellow ribbon. She looked around Emmett for a coffee cup but didn't see one. "Where is mine?"

"Naughty girls have to get their own coffee. What's the ribbon for?"

"I have no clue and you are mean," Grace huffed.

Emmett rolled his eyes at her and got up to talk to his sister, "Ali, what is the yellow ribbon for and would you like a coffee?"

"Yes and normally it's just you and me so all my bags are obviously mine. Now Rose and Grace have bags so I brought three spools of ribbon from home. Yellow is Grace, Red is Rose and I'm Purple. All the bags can end up in my suite and then the girls can collect theirs."

"Great idea Pixie. I'll go get you a coffee."

Emmett met Grace leaving the coffee area and she pointed out that she already made her coffee. When he told her that it was for his sister Grace gave him a dirty look. He rolled his eyes again and ignored his moody fiancée. Emmett gave Alice her drink and told her she looked lovely in a little black dress that would have to be altered to fit her. He asked if Jasper wanted anything and laughed when Jasper pulled out a medium size silver flask.

"Dude that is a brilliant idea. I should have thought of that."

"I knew I'd need it traveling and shopping with both my sisters. Have a seat and I'll tell you the pub story."

Grace heard pub story and went over to sit by Edward resting her head on his shoulder and sighing. After she sighed for the third time he asked her what was bothering her. She asked if there was ever going to be a statute of limitations on telling an embarrassing story about a sibling. Edward affectionately kissed the top of her head, "No. Would you like to hear a good Em story?"

"It has to be one where he was mortified."

Edward laughed, "Hmm he doesn't get mortified often. Most of the time it just rolls of his back after a minute or so. He's done a lot of stupid things like trying to warm up his soup on the burner in a plastic bowl."

"How old was he?"

"Ten."

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"I was up in my room, I was going downstairs to get a drink when I smelled something funny and then heard him swear. It was too late, I turned the burner off, told him he was an idiot and that he could have started a fire."

"Nope, I need something better than that. Give me college Em."

"Hmm…I've got one if you'll accept senior high."

"I'm listening."

"We were at my cousin Kate's wedding in Alaska. Em didn't go to the rehearsal dinner the night before so when he saw Garrett's younger sister he decided a wedding hook up would be a good idea. He was 17 and she was about 19. He noticed that she just finished a glass of red wine so he brought over a new one. I still don't know what he tripped over but he did and the wine glass flew out of his hand, hit her in the chin and the wine went all down her dress. He just stood there with his mouth open not having a clue what to do or say. Mom came over, hit him in the back of the head, told him to apologize and go get some soda water from the bar. He did that and then Mom told him to go sit down and not to move for the rest of the evening."

"Aww poor Em, he didn't do it on purpose. Everyone trips."

"I don't understand women. You wanted dirt on him and instead of laughing you feel sorry for him. Tell me, do they teach you how to give men emotional whiplash at birth?"

Grace laughed, "No, I think we are hardwired to keep your kind always guessing."

"Now that I believe."

Grace stayed beside Edward talking quietly until Jasper came over to ask her if she was mad at him. Grace had to admit that she wasn't pleased but she'd already filed it away in her 'Why do I love my brother so much again file.' Jasper grinned at her and gave her a long hug. Alice came over to give him her shopping bags and Jasper took four and gave her the other three.

"Love, your job here is to carry all my bags," Alice said with a sweet smile.

"My Darling Alice, I am not a pack mule. If you can buy it you can also carry some of it," Jasper responded with an equally sweet smile.

Alice looked over at Rose to see that she was carrying all her own bags and huffed loudly. Emmett had to turn around to hide the huge grin on his face and pinched his arm to stop the laughter that was bubbling up inside him.

Grace wandered around Dior but nothing held her interest. She didn't even find a pair of heels that she wanted. Alice wanted Emmett to try on a tux for the wedding but he told her he liked Gucci more. Alice dragged Edward over to the men's section and convinced him he was a Dior Homme. Jasper's lack of enthusiasm frustrated Alice so much that she sent him off to bother Grace.

The next stop was Emilio Pucci and Grace found two items she loved enough to pay an insane price for. The first was a draped top, featuring the label's signature swirl print. Cut from croc-effect silk-jacquard, the elegant piece had a touch of the exotic with a pale pink background and light blue, pale lavender and black. She also bought a Pucci printed 'Mykonos' dress featuring a gathering at the side, which ensured the satin-jersey fabric fell into an elegant drape. Pale and Mediterranean blue, white, purple and black geometric shapes make the dress easy to accessorize.

"Good thing you didn't spend anything at Dior," Emmett whispered when they were standing at the counter to pay for her two items.

"I know! You're going to have to pay for my pizza," Grace chuckled.

When they arrived at Fratelli Rossetti Emmett and Grace noticed a café a few doors down and went there. Ten minutes later Edward joined them and twenty minutes later Rose and Jasper came in together.

"Grace, I bought you a pair of shoes. The heel is only four inches but the colour is so pretty I knew you'd love them."

"Thanks Rose," Grace said as she opened the box and looked at a pair of soft pinkish beige leather heels.

Alice had brought her shoes to the limo and walked up to find them, "Move it people we only have an hour for lunch."

"I'm not shoving food down my throat Alice, who's next on the fashion tour?" Grace asked.

"Armani followed by Gucci."

"Yeah we'll meet you at Gucci what time is the appointment?" Emmett asked.

"2:15," Alice growled.

"Rose do you mind if I skip Armani too?"

"No, I have fun shopping with Alice. She has so much patience unlike a certain sister of mine." Rose answered.

"I'll meet you at Gucci too Pix. I may even buy something there," Jasper added.

Alice picked up Emmett's nearly full bottle of Stella and downed it giving him a look daring him to take it off of her. Emmett could almost see the steam coming out of her head and was not in the mood to enrage her further. She slammed the bottle back on the table and gave him the address of the pizza place he liked so much.

"Rose unless you were craving pizza how about we stay here and eat. Armani is a five-minute walk and they will send anything we buy to the hotel. Gucci is a ten-minute walk from Armani."

"I'm fine with that Alice, Edward can always take me to have pizza one night."

"We're going back for dinner Rose, but if you like it I'd be happy to go again," Edward answered.

Everyone else got up to leave and left money for their drinks on the table. Jasper gave Alice a kiss on the head and a slap on the rear while Edward gave Rose a hug and waved from outside the door.

"You can stay with her if you want bro," Emmett suggested with a grin.

"Nah, the Evil Pixie is getting on my nerves. I now own 2 tuxes that I'm never going to wear."

"Wear the old one to my wedding and we can watch Alice have a seizure," Emmett laughed.

"There will be no seizures at my wedding thank you very much. I'm going to start calling you two dumb and dumber," Grace stated before she got into the limo.

"Gorgeous, Milan is famous for their Neapolitan pizza so don't be looking for pesto or anything other than tomato sauce and buffalo mozzarella. We are going to La Taverna, their pizzas have a thin base and a high, crunchy crust. They also serve pizzas with deep-filled crusts. We'll order three of them and you can just…."

"Em, I'm highly capable of eating my own pizza so I won't be sharing yours unless you have a piece left and I'm still hungry."

Edward and Emmett watched Grace destroy her pizza and pick up a slice of the deep crust pizza that belonged to her brother. Jasper offered to share his last piece with her and it was quickly gone. Edward asked her if she was hungry because she didn't eat that much pizza in Venice. Grace took a sip of the lemon infused water and bit down on one of the lemon slices.

"That water is so refreshing and yes Edward I was hungry. I still have room for a gelato if there is a shop around here."

Grace was more impressed by the beauty of the Gucci Flagship Store than it's contents. The art deco style, gleaming marble and gold hardwear was a sight to behold. Emmett was making comments on it too until Alice yanked him away leaving Grace to go find him when she noticed he stopped talking to her. She heard him arguing with Alice in the men's department and came to his rescue.

"Tell Alice that I don't need another tux, I already own a Burberry one."

"You should wear a new tux on your wedding day and you want to make me happy don't you?" Alice tried.

"Pixie, just because your boyfriend will not try on a tux does not mean you get to force me to get fitted for one!"

"Jasper has a great tux that I helped him pick out. He doesn't need one Alice. Em, would you try one on for me? I think you are so sexy in your suits and I think I'd melt seeing you in a tux."

"Fine but I'm not doing the houndstooth one," Emmett maintained.

Ten minutes later, he came out of the dressing room in black organic wool with black satin detail. The jacket with satin two-button closure, front flap pockets and double vents was a little loose but the pants with front on seam pockets and back besom pockets with buttons fit him perfectly. He was wearing a white shirt and had the black bow tie lying around his neck instead of tied. Grace took two steps and pushed him against the dressing room wall kissing him hard.

"Fuck Em, marry me right now."

"I look that good?"

"I've never seen a better looking man in my life. The jacket can be taken in a bit but…"

"Fine, if it makes you that happy and from the look in your eyes, horny I'll buy it."

Alice clapped her hands in glee and looked over at Jasper who was taking a pull from his flask.

"No Alice," he said firmly.

Alice pouted at him and turned her attention back to her brother. "If you can measure him for the jacket and we'll take everything. Well he needs shoes too he is barefoot…"

Alice stopped speaking because Grace had her arms wrapped around his neck and was whispering in his ear making Emmett blush. "What has gotten into you today my naughty minx? I have a shirt, shoes and bow tie Alice. I just need the jacket and pants."

"Grace can you unhand my brother long enough for him to be measured properly?"

"If I must," Grace replied dramatically before leaving a scorching kiss on his lips.

By the time they headed for Via Sant'Andrea to visit Chanel, Versace then Jimmy Choo, Grace wanted a nap. She actually fell asleep on Emmett's lap at Versace and was grumpy when Alice woke her up. Grace left Jimmy Choo with two pairs of shoes compared to Rose's five and Alice's six but she spotted a pair of outrageous shoes in black patent leather in the next store and went inside to buy them. She also left with a garment bag that she wouldn't tell Emmett anything about.

After dinner everyone headed back to the hotel and Grace made Emmett put on his black suit and sent him off to talk to Jasper while she waited for Alice to come over to help her.

Emmett had given his sister his card key and she let herself in calling out to Grace.

"One second Alice, sit on the bed and open the shoe box."

Alice opened the box and her eyes nearly popped out of her head, "Holy Fuck Grace, I know my shoes and I've never seen a pair like these."

"They are just Mary Jane's, "Grace giggled.

"Mary Jane's on crack is more like it. BDSM Mary Jane's."

"The store owner told me they were 8 inch fetish ballet shoes, they had lace up boots too but I liked these more."

Alice looked up at Grace and her jaw fell, "Em is going to die, forget about your sheer tulle this is going to be his favourite piece of clothing ever. Are you going to be able to walk in the shoes? They are pointe shoes thanks to the heel."

"I took ballet until I was 16 and I can run in 6 inch heels. I also don't think I'll be on my feet for long once Em sees me."

"Grace these shoes are making me horny. Walk around in them, if you can do it, I'm buying a pair tomorrow." Alice helped Grace get in to them and put the two little buckles in place, "These are the ultimate fuck me shoes."

Grace stood up from the bed and walked slowly around it. The extra two inches forced her to jut out her chest to keep her balance and she could feel a slight pull in her arches. She walked in to the living room and circled the couch a few times before following Alice back to the bedroom.

"Well?" Alice asked eagerly.

"They force you to arch your back even more than our regular heels, I can feel the arches in my feet stretching and my toes hurt a bit but I've worn heels that hurt a lot more than these. I could wear these out and be able to suck up the pain."

"Did they come in other colors?"

"White and red."

I'm stealing your bill so I know exactly where they are."

"It's in the bag, be my guest. Would you please send your brother back up here?"

"Sure, have fun."

"Oh I plan on it," Grace smiled before giving Alice a hug and escorting her to the door.


	22. Ballerina Barbie

Grace waited for Emmett in the middle of the living room until she heard the push of the door and smiled seductively. Emmett's jaw dropped as he drank her in with his eyes before closing the door behind him and latching the safety lock

"Holy Ballerina Barbie, Grace."

"You like?"

"I like but those shoes have to hurt." Em dropped down to his knees kissing her thigh and surprised her by unbuckling the Mary Jane's. He took the shoes off of her, left a soft kiss on the top of each foot and then stood up pulling a confused Grace into his arms.

"Em?"

"Grace, you should know by now that you don't have to dress up or put your poor feet through hell to make me lust after you. The tutu has to go but I like the bustier, it would be great under that sweater of sin…"

"Sweater of sin?" Grace started laughing, "Oh Em, I love you and your warped mind. Alice said the shoes were making her horny and that you'd like this even more than the black tulle."

"My sister obviously has a ballerina fetish. I don't. You do have a great Halloween costume now. As much as I love the black tulle can I play Barbie with you?"

"Umm sure."

Emmett got rid of the tutu and took the bustier off leaving a trail of kisses from her shoulder down the valley of her breasts to her belly button. He left her standing there in a black g-string. He took off his jacket and white shirt then placed the shirt over her shoulders and slide her arms into the sleeves. He kissed his way up her body as he did the buttons leaving the top three undone. He hung his jacket up in the closet; pulled the jeans she had bought that morning out of the bag and handed them to her. "Slide into these please."

Grace noticed how dark his eyes were getting as she shimmied into the jeans tucking his shirt in before doing the zipper and button up. Emmett approached her and pulled on the shirt to make it tighter in the front. He ghosted his fingers over her nipples and smirked when they immediately hardened. He moved her over a little bit, took his phone out of his pocket and asked her to lick her lips. As she did Emmett took a few pictures of her and added them to his Grace file. He changed the tulle picture to one of her licking her top lip.

"This is my new screen saver Miss Hale and it's just as sexy as the tulle."

Grace had to admit it was a sexy shot with the tip of her tongue gliding over her wet lips, her nipples pressing against the cotton and her hands placed on her hips making her waist look smaller than it was. "Em, I really liked those shoes, I felt so sexy and powerful in them."

"Didn't they hurt Grace?"

"Only a bit and I wear shoes that hurt more to work. You have your fantasy now can I have mine?"

"As you wish," Emmett sighed wishing she were a barefoot type of girl. While Grace put the sky high heels back on he understood what Edward meant when he told him that she was not perfect.

"There, am I your ultimate fantasy girl now?"

"No, my ultimate fantasy girl was the girl at the pub."

"I was wearing pretty high heels that night."

"I know but you weren't trying to be my fantasy girl, you just were. I think James convinced you that you had to dress a certain way, go to the extremes in some cases for him to be impressed. I don't need you to impress me Grace, I just need you to be you and that will make me happy. If you want to wear the heels fine but I rather have you in bare feet."

"You said you'd never tell me what to wear so the heels are staying on."

"Fine, try keeping them out of my back then please. You can kill a man with those spikes!"

"Em put your jeans and a shirt on and let's go up to the terrace to have a night cap."

"Would you let me adjust your shirt a bit?"

"Less obvious nipples?"

"Yes, please. You could put on one of Alice's necklaces with a drop down spiral."

"Good idea, so you are fine with me showing some cleavage?"

"Yes how about two buttons staying undone."

"You are the total opposite of James."

"I fucking hope so!"

"Emmett!"

"I mean I bloody well better be the opposite of that wanker."

"You are my love, mmm I like that blue shirt on you."

"I know, it really makes my eyes pop," Emmett replied with a grin as he finished buttoning it up leaving the first two buttons undone.

Grace smiled at him and gave him a sweet kiss before getting him to fasten a green Murano glass necklace from Alice. Emmett grabbed his wallet and the card key and escorted Grace up to the terrace bar. They settled in to comfortable chairs. Grace ordered a glass of white wine and Emmett a beer. They sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes just holding hands while sipping on their drinks.

"So I hope you still have plans to seduce me when we get back to our room."

"Of course. You really don't like these shoes?"

"No and you already know how I feel about wearing six inch heels while being a tourist."

Grace decided to change the subject, "So what kind of car do you drive Mr. Cullen?"

"I have two cars, my first was a Jeep and when I finished my first year at ACE I bought myself a black Range Rover. What about you? I see you in a BMW."

"My first car was my dad's BMW and when I was ready for a new car, I saved for an extra year to make sure I could afford a British Racing Green Jag."

"Very sexy and classy Miss Hale, I see Rose in a red Porsche."

"Bingo! She insists on two parking spots for her baby; truth is she sucks at parking. Jasper still has his first car, a 1995 Jeep. He takes excellent care of it. What about Edward and Alice?"

"Edward has a Volvo that my Mom pretty much uses all the time now and Alice doesn't drive."

"She what?" Grace asked in shock.

"My parents paid for my Jeep and as soon as Alice turned 16, I taught her how to drive. She passed her test and got her license and then asked me to drive her home. I think she drove a friend's car once or twice because the friend was drunk and that was it. Alice says it stresses her out too much and she prefers to be chauffeured around."

"I could never stand to be at the mercy of someone else to drive me around when ….Alice asked you to drive her and you never said no."

"All her friends drove so they'd pick her up for school, to go out and if they couldn't; then yes I'd drive her where ever."

"You spoiled her rotten. Jasper is going to rock her world."

"I've noticed he has no trouble saying no to her."

"Jasper is very laid back but he's no doormat. He will emotionally indulge her, he offers unconditional love but he won't put up with crap. Jasper will frustrate the hell out of her because he won't yield. I've never gotten anywhere with him using tears, nagging or hugging the daylights out of him, he knows I'm up to something."

"Part of Alice is going to be happy when he gets on the plane to leave."

"Jasper is going to be ready for a break from her too."

"Have you figured out what is going on between Edward and Rose?"

"No, Rose hasn't said anything. I think they are fooling around but probably haven't gone passed oral. Rose is a big fan of kissing so I know they are doing a lot of that with groping I'm sure."

"It's too bad they live so far apart."

"They are having fun though so let's not remind them that it has to come to an end."

"Would Rose…"

"Leave me and our company? No! Would Edward…"

"It's highly unlikely since he loves London but if he really wanted to I think he could transfer to the Manhattan office. Do you landscape your own garden or do you have someone do it?"

"I do a design and pick out the flowers and my Dad actually plants them and takes care of the grass for me. He does it for the three of us; he gets bored just sitting around at home. Did I mention I have a pool and Jacuzzi?"

"No you didn't that will be fun. Do you use the Jacuzzi in the winter? My mom will probably want you to design her garden. She's been talking about what she wants to do with it for a few years now."

"Yes I use it year round and I guess I'll bring my sixty pack of pencil crayons when I visit for the first time."

"I imagine tons of art supplies neatly arranged in your office and at home."

"Right now they are in a bookcase in your office and at home they fill a shelf in my closet. I have a set of watercolors but I've only used them a few times. My go to tools are pencil crayons, crayons, pastels, markers and a variety of rulers."

"You don't use a computer program to fit everything in?"

"No I have one that I'll use if the clients really want to see it but 99% of them are happy with my drawings."

" Do you want another drink?"

"No, I want to take you back to our room and have my way with you Mr. Cullen."

Emmett flashed his dimples, waggled his eyebrows and jumped out of his chair to go pay their bill. Grace giggled to herself and slowly followed him inside. He was standing at the bar so she leaned over to whisper in his ear, "I want you to bend me over the couch."

Grace nipped his neck and made him shiver. Emmett responded, "What the hell has gotten into you today Miss Hale? I'm not complaining but maybe I need Alice to force you to shop all day more often."

She gave him a very innocent smile and headed out the door with Emmett right behind her. By the time they made it to the elevator Grace had undone every button on his shirt and only the fact that the shirt was tucked into her jeans kept her breasts covered. As soon as she felt his large hand skim down her back she pulled on the shirt and turned around to give him an unfettered view of her breasts.

"GRACE?"

"Meet uninhibited, horny as hell, wants to be screwed now Grace."

"You mean naughty college girl Grace?"

"Same difference, some days I just wake up with nothing but sex on my mind."

Emmett tweaked a nipple and looked around to see if anyone was coming their way. He prayed the elevator would be empty and breathed a sigh of relief when it was. Grace pressed the button for their floor and then quickly pulled down and stepped out of her jeans leaving her in just the open shirt, the black G-string and the 8 inch black Mary Jane heels. Emmett grabbed her jeans and as the door opened on their floor she tossed the shirt at him and strutted down the hall, not even blinking when a door opened and a distinguished looking couple stepped out.

"Sorry my bride is in a rush to start our honeymoon," a beet red Emmett stammered.

He didn't stick around to get a response as he dashed down to hall to keep up with her and let her in before someone else saw her. He let her in then spun around to lock the door and slip the safety latch. Emmett turned around and Grace was naked leaning against the back of the couch with her legs spread.

"Grace? I thought you were going to seduce me. I can't believe what you just did in the hall."

"Did I embarrass you?" Grace asked as she looked at his feet.

"Um no, I'd say you surprised the hell out of me. Seeing that couple..well I haven't blushed like that since Alice caught me day dreaming to a Victoria's Secret catalogue."

"How old were you?"

"Twelve."

"I don't think we would have even been friends when I was twelve."

"Why?"

"I spent most of my time with my back against a tree and a book in my hands. Even in winter, I'd sit in the snow and read."

"I would have noticed the blond girl and gone to investigate what you were doing."

"You would have pulled the book out of my hands and taken off."

"No, well yes on pulling the book off you. I would have closed it to read the blurb on the back and if it seemed silly to me I would have told you to read whatever I was reading at the time. You would have huffed and yelled at me for loosing your page."

"Nah, I always remember what page I'm on. So you read more than Victoria's Secret?"

"Yes, reading was huge in my family. After dinner there was no TV you finished your homework and grabbed a book and settled in the living room. I'd spread out on the couch and Alice would join me with her book. I was so happy when she learned how to read without doing it out loud."

"Em, you're going to make an excellent dad."

"Not so sure of that, I've got a gorgeous naked girl in front of me and I'm talking about reading. Grace please take those heels off. Our bodies are perfectly aligned when you are barefoot. That couch doesn't give; I'll break your ribs pushing you down."

Grace grabbed his hand and pulled him into the bedroom where she braced herself against the side of the bed. "This will be comfy"

"You're like a dog with a bone," Emmett groaned not particularly pleased with her shoe obsession. "I'm waiting for the seduction to begin."

Grace sighed dramatically and walked her hands off the bed until she could stand up straight. She pushed Emmett down on the bed and dropped down to her knees to take his shoes and socks off. Grace undid his jeans, pulling them off with his boxers and ran her breasts along his chest while she undid the remaining buttons and pulled his shirt off of him.

"God, I love how you look naked Em, your body is pure muscle and it's all mine."

"Thank you, I like how you are setting up this seduction."

"I think I'm going to start by covering your body with kitten licks."

"Dare I ask?"

Grace laughed, leaned down and lightly licked his bicep with the tip of her tongue before leaving a little nip and blowing air over the slightly wet spot. Emmett shivered and encouraged her on. By the time she was finished covering his entire body he was ready to pop a gasket. He was so hard Grace decided riding him would be better than having him bend her over and she quickly brought both of them over the edge. Grace was lying mostly on top of him as they regained their breath and accidentally hit his thigh with the tip of her heel.

"Ouch, Babe would you please take off those shoes! I think I'm bleeding."

"Stop being such a big….oh crap you are bleeding, it's just a little flesh wound. I'll take them off."

Grace took her shoes off and carefully put them back in their box before she padded back to the bed and laughed at Emmett who was trying to see if he was still bleeding. She ran her finger over the spot and showed him that there was no more blood before placing a gentle kiss on his booboo to make it all better. He pulled her into his arms and left a slow lazy kiss on her neck.

"I love you, even though you bring me pain," he teased.

"I love you, even though you are a baby."

"This baby wants his teddy bear so he can sleep for several hours and gain the strength back to seduce you."

Grace crawled into bed and wrapped herself around Emmett using his chest as her pillow. They were both asleep ten minutes later.


	23. Sorry Won't Cut It

Emmett was beyond livid due to his beloved's stubborn as hell refusal to change their day of sight seeing in Milan. He was also very hurt that she didn't trust him when he told her that he had her best interests at heart and knew she'd love Alice's surprise. Emmett had gone so far as to tell her it was a once in a lifetime type of opportunity. He reminded her that Milan was not going anywhere and they could visit again on their Orient Express honeymoon. Grace would not budge until he was forced to spill the surprise. Then she squealed with delight and hightailed it out of the room to go have breakfast, leaving him in the proverbial dust.

Alice had been working her contacts for months to get herself an appointment at Christian Louboutin's factory on the outskirts of Milan. She managed to get an extended invitation for Grace and Rose and wanted to surprise them with a shoe lover's dream come true. They would have custom made forms of their feet created so any shoe they ordered would be made to fit every contour of their foot. Custom made Louboutins didn't come cheap but Alice thought they would be worth every penny.

After the girls had left, Emmett asked Jasper to stay behind to talk. Edward could tell his little brother was upset but he figured if it was Jasper he wanted to talk to it had to do with Grace. He offered to stay as well but Emmett told him to go get his workout in and they'd meet at the pizza place for lunch at noon.

"So what has my sister done?"

"I'm so mad at her I could spit! How the hell do you deal with the stubbornnest woman alive?"

"What did she do?"

"She outright refused to alter our plans today even though I told her I didn't mind and to trust me that she'd love Alice's surprise. I had to tell her what it was to make her go. I know my sister wanted to see the awe in their eyes when they pulled up to the factory."

"Grace is a very good actress, she'll put on a show for her."

"I was so mad at her I almost told her to skip it but I didn't want to hurt Alice. She's been working on this for months for herself and worked a miracle to get your sisters in with her."

"I know, Ali told me. Judging by the way she acted at breakfast and the fast peck she gave you Grace has no clue how upset you are."

"Jasper, I have her engagement ring in my pocket and I'm starting to wonder if I should slow down."

"Em, you have to tell her that she royally pissed you off. You will probably have to spell it all out for her as if she were a child. I'd sleep on it and use the time on the train tomorrow. What did she do that pissed you off the most?"

"I feel betrayed. She didn't trust me enough to take me at my word. I fucking hate her heel obsession, but I knew that this would be like the mother ship calling her home."

"Like you getting an invitation to Brookside or Gummy Bear World?"

"Exactly."

"Bro, from what I've seen of how you treat Alice and Grace you are too kind and generous with them. You treat them like princesses and they both treat you like their favorite servant. Edward was telling me that it's just how you are but do you have any idea how hard it is for me to try to bring Alice back to reality? Her sense of entitlement is mind blowing. She's a massive hot air balloon and my goal is to turn her into a party balloon."

"Sorry Jasper but you should know right now that the best you are ever going to reduce her to is a dozen party balloons. The big shiny Mylar ones."

"Grace is six party balloons but right now you have her thinking she's a dozen. You've got to start popping now. Be very honest with her but don't yell. Jackass as you know was verbally abusive to her."

"Jasper, why didn't you kick his ass?"

"Grace never told me what he was really like. He was very polite when he was around us. I didn't trust him but Grace wouldn't listen to me. I've been fooling around with my computer and I've managed to hack his work and personal e-mail accounts. I'm looking for something to use against him. I'm still thinking we need to physically hurt him too."

"I'm all for that."

"Are you still mad at her?"

"Yes, but I'm…"

"No buts Emmett. Calmly tell her tomorrow that she fucked up."

"I love you Grace but yesterday was so not cool with me?"

"I'd be a little harsher than that. Tell her that you love her but yesterday she really fucked you over and you can't be married to someone who thinks that is OK. Ignore the tears and tell her you'll give her a minute to collect herself. Bring a water bottle with you and offer it to her."

"Oh man tears, I really can't handle tears."

"No really? Toughen up Em! She knows damn well that tears never worked with me. I'd toss a box of Kleenex at her and go back to whatever it was that I was doing."

"I should warn you now that if you do that to Alice she'll throw the box back at you with remarkable force and aim for your forehead. She's a violent little Pixie."

"Yes her little elbows are quite sharp," Jasper laughed.

"The two of you are still having a hen party?" Edward teased.

"How the hell did you get back here so fast?" Emmett asked.

"I did a power run for half an hour. Jasper do you want to take the Cullen brothers tour of Milan before we go for lunch?"

"Sure, I just need to go get my sunglasses."

Pizza put Emmett in a better frame of mind but he was still pissed off with Grace. When Alice dialed Emmett an hour later, Edward snatched his cell phone off the table.

"Eddie? I was calling Em. Does he happen to be near you?"

"Em has a migraine and is in bed. I took his phone so it wouldn't disturb him."

"Poor Em but I'm glad I'm not going crazy, I knew I hit his name in my contacts."

"What do you want Pix?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted to join us for a late lunch. We are about forty minutes outside of the city."

"I just had lunch with Jasper and we were going to bring a slice back to Em just in case he felt like eating it later."

"Pizza again?"

"Yes Alice. Why don't you girls go eat then show Grace your work in that gallery?"

"Fine, we'll see you back at the hotel around five."

"Thanks for the great excuse bro, but I actually have a tension headache. It won't be hard to fake a migraine."

"We've got a few hours should we continue to play tourist with Jasper?"

"You guys can but I'm going to go back to the hotel and crawl into bed."

"Don't forget to order yourself a slice to go," Jasper laughed as Edward handed his brother his cell phone back.

The girls got back to the hotel a little after five and Grace found their room dark. She went into the bedroom and found Emmett sound asleep. Grace turned on a light and noticed a half eaten piece of pizza. She figured Emmett had to really be feeling awful to not finish a slice of his favourite food. Alice had warned her to just leave him alone but Grace sat down on the bed and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Leave me alone," Emmett responded with a slight hiss.

"It's me Em."

"Leave me alone Grace!" he said in a loud whisper.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Peace and quiet so I can go back to sleep."

"You don't want to hear about my amazing day?"

"You mean the day you didn't want to have? No, I don't care."

"Em, you sound like you are mad at me."

"I'm more than mad but I'll deal with the shit you pulled tomorrow. Right now, all I want is silence. Please leave me and my head alone." Emmett turned his back to her and put her pillow over his head.

"I love you Emmett Cullen," Grace said with a quivering voice that told him she was crying.

"I love you Grace but I need you to get the hell out of here and let me sleep."

Emmett heard her blowing her nose and moving around in the bathroom before the distinctive click of the hotel door closing. He took the pillow off his head and waited a few minutes before getting up. He drank a bottle of water, took a couple of pills for his head and finished the slice of pizza. He texted Edward and then crashed back into bed. Half an hour later he heard the door open and looked up to see his sister.

"Pix, I texted Ed."

"I know but Grace is really upset. She thinks you don't want her to come back to the room tonight."

"She's a drama queen like you! I told her to leave so I could go back to sleep. I didn't tell her to not come back. Can I have my damn food so I can try to stop this headache that she caused? Stress migraine Alice."

"Are you mad at her?" Alice inquired softly.

"I'm so fucking pissed off at her that I can't seem to find better words to describe how upset I am."

"Eat your wedding soup and I got the kitchen to make you a mozzarella grilled cheese."

"Thank you Pix."

"Anytime Em, while you eat; this drama queen is going to pack for you and then I'll give you a head massage that should put you to sleep pretty fast."

"Tell Grace not to wake me up this time."

"I will."

Emmett went into the bathroom to get one of his migraine pills and then swallowed it with a spoonful of soup. By the time he had finished eating, Alice had packed his suitcase and only left out what he was going to wear the next day. Alice had him get comfortable in bed and then tucked him in. She massaged his head and temples for about fifteen minutes until he started snoring. Alice left a kiss on her big brother's forehead and left taking the food containers with her.

He didn't hear Grace come in a few hours later. She packed and got everything ready to go before carefully trying to climb into bed. Emmett was sprawled out in the middle of the bed and she couldn't get in so she grabbed her pillow and went to sleep on the couch in the living room. She didn't sleep very well and was up and dressed nursing a cup of coffee when Emmett's alarm went off.

"I've got coffee waiting for you. How is your head?"

"Better I think," Emmett replied and went straight into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, he was standing in front of Grace with his hair still wet and a towel resting around his hips. He drained the coffee in three sips and went over to grab the clothes Alice had left out for him. He chuckled at the bright yellow and blue Minion characters from Despicable Me. He'd forgotten he brought them along. He slid into his jeans and a blue button down shirt before stepping in to his Doc Martens. Emmett looked down and noticed Grace had on the blush pink shoes Rose had bought her the other day with jeans and a tight lightweight pink sweater. She was clearly dressing to impress him, which made him ever so slightly less angry with her.

"Jasper told me that he bought me a pair of running shoes and some tennis socks yesterday."

"I asked him to, you can't hike in heels. You should go down and get them now. I've got room for them if you don't."

"I ordered breakfast, it should be up here any minute."

"I'll wait to eat then."

"Em, this is the first time I didn't wake up in your arms and I hate it. How long is the train trip from Milan to the Cinque Terra?"

"It's a three hour ride from Milan to Monterosso which is the biggest village."

"I'll go get my shoes. I'm sorry Emmett."

"A simple sorry while appreciated will not cut it Grace. We'll talk on the train. I hated waking up without you too."

Grace looked so sad that it almost broke his heart but he knew that he couldn't let her get away with a behaviour that hurt him so much. All the love in the world wouldn't make up for trust issues. Breakfast arrived and Emmett waited for five minutes before digging into a three egg, four-cheese omelet and some toasted Italian bread. He started eating the fruit salad and found himself automatically putting the grapefruit sections in Grace's bowl. He was working on his second coffee when the door opened and Grace walked in with a bag in her hands.

"Sorry, I tried waiting but I was starving."

"It's fine, Jasper and Alice kept me longer than I thought they would. Jasper had no sympathy for me and Alice is not thrilled with me."

"You fucked up Grace, but as I said we'll talk about it on the train."

Grace noticed all the grapefruit sitting on the top of her fruit bowl and smiled, "Thank you for giving me your sections."

"I know you like them. So tell me what did you think of Alice's art pieces?"

"They were stunning and some of them were so complicated and delicate. I wanted to buy a few of them."

"Alice wouldn't let you I'm sure."

"No, much to the owners chagrin. Alice told him I was her sister in law and I'd already bought my quota of her designs. I did talk a lady in her forties into buying one of Alice's pieces."

"Eat your breakfast, we have to be en route to the train station in an hour."

"Em…"

"Grace unless you want to talk about breakfast; I don't want to hear it right now."

"You know I'm starting to wish you'd just scream at me."

"I never scream Grace. I always take the time to process my thoughts and emotions when I'm very upset."

"On a scale of one to ten how upset are you?"

"Yesterday I was at a twenty, now about an eight."

Grace decided that it would be best to stop talking and finish her breakfast. Emmett left the table and shoved her shoes in his second suitcase before finishing the last of the coffee. His phone beeped and he read the text from Edward.

**Dude, remember you love her and that she does have trust issues.**

**Think about how long it's been since her trust** **was shattered. It's less than**

**3 weeks.**

"Are you ready to go Grace?"

"I'll just use the bathroom and I'll be set."

"I'm going to check us out. Do a room sweep and join me downstairs."

"Thanks for that," Rose said quietly as she sat herself down in Edward's lap and nuzzled his neck eventually leaving a long kiss there. "I think we need to revisit our definition of friendship."

"Rose negotiating when you are naked isn't exactly in my best interest," Edward chuckled.

"You are the one who let me climb into your bed naked and you didn't seem to mind playing with my breasts for more than an hour."

"I'm a man Rose, I can only take so much and you know it, you little minx."

"Edward as much as I love your long skilled fingers inside me, I want you inside me. Forget Milan, I want you to screw my brains out all day long."

"Rose are you sure?"

"I'm already going to miss you horribly when I go back home. I might as well miss you physically too."

"Damn it Rose, I suppose you are spectacular in bed."

"Yes and I like being on top, on all fours and you already know I like to swallow."

"You are going to ruin all other women for me, I can see it already."

"I'm positive I will Edward. How attached to London are you really Mr. Cullen?"

"How attached to Boston are you Miss Hale?"

Rose sighed knowing that neither of them wanted to leave home. She stood up and took Edward's hand in hers and he rose, "Do you want me in bed or bent over this couch?"

"Bed please," Edward answered with a big grin.

While Rose and Edward were giving in to their sexual appetite Alice was asking Jasper if he had a tape worm as he wanted to stop off for a mid morning tiramisu. Emmett helped Grace on to the train and then they settled in their first class seats.

Grace opened her purse and handed Emmett a bag of gummy bears she had picked up after the visit to the Christian Louboutin factory.

"Thank you Grace, that was very sweet of you."

"You're welcome. Can we just get this over with so I can start making amends?"

"Grace, you seriously hurt my feelings and I'm fucking pissed off at you so I will not be

getting over this in three hours. You didn't trust me Grace and how can I marry someone who doesn't trust me?"

"Seriously?"

"Deadly. You have trust issues Grace and I think you need to deal with them before we think about getting married."

"We set a date Em."

"Then you have a lot of work to do Miss Hale. If you couldn't trust me about a fucking day trip with Alice how are you going to handle the big stuff? How will you even respond when one of my friends; who happens to be a girl gives me a big hug when I introduce you in Chicago?"

"Em it wasn't that I didn't trust you. I thought you were trying to please Alice and after spending two days doing it her way I just wanted to spend the day with you. I was being stubborn and fighting to protect our time together."

"Then my issue is that you don't listen to me nor trust what I say. Someone told me that I treat Alice and you like princesses and you treat me like your favourite servant. Marriage is a partnership Grace and I think I've said, "As you wish" too often.

"Emmett I've never been treated like a princess before so I guess I've been eating it up but I don't think of you as my servant. Em, you're my dream come true! You're a real live knight in shinning armor. I never meant to make you feel like I was taking advantage of you."

"Grace, I don't feel like you are taking advantage of me and I like spoiling you. This really is about trust and I need you to trust me a hundred percent of the time not most of the time. If I told you to get off at the next train stop I need you to trust me enough to do it. You don't need to know why; you just need to do it knowing that I have a very good reason."

"Okay."

"Grace an okay is not going to fix this. It's another issue you are going to need to work through with a therapist."

"I will, now how can I fix this and not ruin four days of what I had already built up in my mind as heaven on earth?"

"There is still no quick fix Grace. I can tell you that my pissed off meter is back to zero."

"But you are still hurting."

"Yes."

Grace sighed and reached over placing her hand over his, "How can I make you feel a little less hurt? I love you, I'm sorry and I'm hurting because I caused you pain."

"I was going to propose to you while we were in the Cinque. I had it all planned out in my mind. I'm disappointed that I can't give you the proposal I wanted to. I need you to stop crying, suck it up and be an adult. I'm not telling you this to hurt you; I think you need to know how seriously I take trust. It's the… blow your nose, drink some water and take sometime to collect yourself." Emmett handed her a bottle of water and some Kleenex before opening the bag of gummy bears and eating a few while looking out the window. He could see her reflection in it and the tears were still coming. "Grace you told me that tears never moved Jasper but I hate them. Unless you want to hurt me some more I suggest you stop it." God, I'm being a prick to her Emmett thought to himself.

Grace heard hurt me and momentarily freaked out, "Oh God Em, don't leave me! Please I would die if…"

"Grace take a very deep breath and stop being a drama queen. Turn off the water works so you can hear properly and not make things up. You are starting to make an unnecessary scene."

Emmett took out his phone and quickly texted Jasper.

She's still crying, half the train thinks I'm evil and I can't take much more of this shit.

A minute later Em's phone vibrated and he looked down.

Your sister won't let me eat and I can't take much more of that. You're just going to have to wait her out. Push the water bottle at her.

Emmett picked up the water bottle and placed her hand around it and pretended to be interested in his phone again. After Grace took a sip she did start to calm down and about fifteen minutes later she slid her hand on top of his.

"Sorry about that, it was cruel to tell me about the proposal though."

"Probably but I really needed you to understand how serious I am about your trust issues Grace. Less then three weeks ago your trust was shattered so I think it is safe to say you need some help."

"You are right, sorry for making a scene."

Apology accepted, Grace listen to this."

Grace held up the phone to her ear and listened as a beautiful song started playing. It sounded vaguely familiar but she'd only heard snippets of it before. "Em this is gorgeous, where is it from?"

"It's called Falling Slowly and it's from the movie and Broadway show Once. I took my mom to see it last year and the song never left my head. I listen to it when I'm really tense or want to punch the crap out of someone or something. It soothes my soul."

"Is it still playing?"

"I believe so. I'll look in to it and if it's still in New York we can make a weekend out of it."

"Oh Em, I'd love that. Is it romantic?"

"It's a bittersweet romance."

"I'm getting hungry, do you have any bears left?"

"You can finish the bag, I've got a good number of them already in hibernation."

"I love it when you talk about hibernation, it's nice to know you are a freak too."

"Remember the Breakfast Club and the essay? I've always known we are all a brain, an athlete, a princess, a basket case and a criminal."

"I have a hard time seeing you as a princess Em. Alice yes but you?"

"Wait until you see how I let my mom dote on me and you'll see it can apply."

"Criminal?"

"What you never swiped candy or a little toy from a store as a kid?"

"I stole one of Rose's bracelets when she turned five; it's still in my jewelry box actually. Em what is the kindest thing you have ever done?"

"I didn't know it at the time but I saved my friend Core from committing suicide. It was my first week of high school and I came across her crying in the library. I was trying to hibernate to get rid of a migraine. I sat down and asked if I could help her. I shared my gummy bears with her and told her that I'd be waiting for her the next week. As soon as she walked down the aisle a week later I gave her my big full dimple smile and she dropped to the floor and started balling. Turns out that the day we met she planned on going home and killing herself. I was one of the only people in three years that took the time to talk to her. Her life was pretty messed up and her classmates were cruel and bullied her. I just felt a connection to her instantly. We became really good friends. She works in New York now in advertising and does lots of work in schools about bullying. We'll have to have dinner with her when we go to New York."

"Wow, my Gran use to always tell me to smile at people because you never know if your smile was the one thing that got them through the day. Em you are a giant with the gentlest soul. I'm so, so sorry I ruined your plans."

"I'll live."

"You told me how beautiful the Cinque is how about the food?"

"The best pesto on earth and even if you hate anchovies you'll love them here. Will you trust me to order your food the entire time we are here?"

"Yes."

"Promise me you won't whine about having to wear your sneakers most of the time?"

"Promise but how much walking will we be doing?"

"A fair bit but even I need to take breaks and some of the towns are easier to get to by boat."

"I'm really looking forward to this Emmett."

"So am I Grace, I get to share one of my favourite places on earth with the future mother of my triplets."

"TRIPLETS? Em, I want three but there is no way I want three of your babies inside me at once," Grace replied with a horrified face.

Emmett laughed, "You realize that neither of us have any control over that. Multiples don't run in my family but we could start the tradition."

"Shut up Em, you'll jinx me. I swear to God if you give me three, I'm going to make your life a living hell."

"Just what you want to hear from your fiancée."

"Come sit beside me you big jerk and let's watch the scenery go by."

"As you wish."


	24. Relaxing

After checking into their hotel Emmett was more than happy to take Grace out for lunch. He couldn't decide if he wanted to take her to the sprawling Ristorante Belvedere on the Harborfront or Via Venti which was a quiet little Trattoria, hidden in an alley deep in the heart of the old town.

"Grace do you want a view while eating or a view while getting there?"

I'll take a view while getting there. Do my heels need to go?"

"No, there will be no hiking today. You'll love dinner tonight."

"Will I love it for the food or the view?"

"The food is good but I love the elegance of the sea view. The outdoor seating is on a bluff unless you rather be inside with white table clothes and candles."

"Sounds romantic and I'll take the bluff please."

Grace held out her hand, breathing a small sigh of relief when Emmett smiled at her while taking her hand into his.

"Grace, you have to be honest with me. All I ask is that you try the food. If you don't like it let me know. If you need a break when we are hiking tomorrow, we can stop and I'll happily kiss some energy back into you."

"Mmm I like the sound of that. I think I may need a little energy to get down all our hotel stairs."

"I was hoping you'd say that Miss Hale."

After a few blistering kisses Emmett asked if she had her camera and they headed out to get to the old town section of Monterosso. Grace was falling in love with the old town and took many pictures until they turned down an alley where Emmett pointed out where they were going.

"Welcome to Via Venti. This is my kind of restaurant, everything is homemade."

Emmett ordered gnocchi with crab sauce, tender ravioli stuffed with fresh fish and pear and cheese pasta. They shared all three dishes and Grace quickly forgot her disappointment that there was no pesto.

"So what did you think?" Emmett asked as they walked towards the sea and rested on the steps of the church so Grace could put another memory card in her camera.

"I know why we are going to retire here once the kids are finished college. Have you ever brought Alice?"

Emmett felt like proposing to her on the spot but was too curious about why Alice entered her thoughts, "Alice has been down a couple of times, why?"

"Why on earth does she not spend every moment she can here?"

"The Pixie does not like to hike. Although she likes the food, she doesn't feel there are enough restaurants. It's too far from a major airport in her opinion. Venice is a city this is rural to her and Alice doesn't do rural."

"Alice is an idiot. This is heaven on earth and I've only seen part of one of the five villages."

"Why do you like it so much Grace?"

"It's beautiful, peaceful, lunch was sublime and mostly because life seems to be simpler. Although, I think the tourists might get on my nerves during the summer. Oh and you promised me the Cinque has kickass pesto."

"That it does, I'll take you to a place for lunch tomorrow that makes my favorite pesto."

"Rose actually makes a really good pesto. I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow then."

Emmett and Grace spend the rest of the day wandering around Monterosso before heading up to the sprawling Ristorante Belvedere. The view from the bluff was picture perfect and allowed them to enjoy one of the prettiest sunsets they both had ever seen while slowly drinking wine and savouring the food.

While Grace and Emmett were soaking in the atmosphere Edward was on his computer e-mailing his boss to ask for a two week extension of his holiday. He was fairly certain the CEO would grant his request since Edward rarely took breaks and had about ten months worth of vacation time banked.

"Have you hit send yet?" A naked Rose asked from the window.

"Just about to."

"Make it three weeks, I want you to see Boston for a day or two before we go somewhere tropical."

"I've seen Boston before Rose."

"I've seen London before too so what is your point? Don't you want to make me happy?"

"Fine I just changed it and hit send. Now get over here and show me how happy you are!"

"I thought we were going to have dinner."

"Call room service."

"Why Mr. Cullen what happened to the man who liked to wine and dine me?"

"You corrupted me Ms. Hale and turned me into a sex addict."

"Took you long enough to fall in line Edward."

"A man can only resist a beautiful woman for so long, especially when she does everything in her power to lure the poor man in."

"Edward, you know I like you right?"

"Yes, you've made it very obvious Rosie."

"Don't call me that Eddie. You will always hold a special place in my heart, I consider you one of my dearest friends. I love you Edward but I'm not in love with you."

"I think if you moved to London we'd eventually fall in love with each other but that is not going to happen. Don't worry Rosalie; I'm not in love with you either. You are one of my favourite people on the earth and I adore you. I also know this runs deeper than friends with benefits."

"Does that mean you'll start using some holiday time to visit me or be off when I visit you?"

"Yes. Will Grace mind you being away more often?"

"No, she'll be too busy with Em to care. I could always do a little bit of work wherever we happen to be."

"Do you think we can make love without being in love?"

"I say we get dressed, go have dinner and then come back here and find out."

"I guess a romantic dinner wouldn't hurt."

"Thank you Edward."

"You are welcome my sweet Rose."

"My Rose, my Edward… I like that."

"Me too."

Rose and Edward spotted Alice and Jasper coming back to the hotel as they headed to the restaurant. They waved to each other and then went their separate ways. Alice told Jasper she needed the bathroom and came out to the living area ten minutes later wearing one of his shirts. Jasper laughed and went over to her. He knelt down before Alice and turned up the sleeves on his shirt about ten times so the cuffs would actually sit at her wrists.

"Alice don't get mad at me but if you were going for sexy, a man's shirt doesn't work on a body as tiny as yours."

"Good thing I wasn't going for sexy then. I'm trying to figure out what article of clothing I'm going to steal from you to sleep in when you leave me."

"Come sit in my lap beautiful. I think now is a good time to talk about our future."

"So you do see a future with me Jasper?" Alice asked as she sat in his lap and curled her body into him, resting her head over his heart.

"Alice I do. I'm not ready to marry you but I'm also not ready to say good-bye to you. It's true that I can do web design anywhere but I can't just abandon my students. Skype won't work when a student really needs to talk to a trusted adult who won't judge them. You aren't a fling to me Alice. You are the first girl I've ever thought about getting serious with and that ship has already sailed. I've fallen in love with an Evil Pixie."

Alice laughed and gave him a playful slug in the stomach. "You already know I love you too. How are we going to make this work?"

"Well could you fly down for Thanksgiving and stay until the New Year? Maybe we can go somewhere warm between Christmas and New Year. How does spending New Year's Eve in Hawaii sound?"

"I've never closed the studio down for that long before. I go home for Thanksgiving for two weeks then come back. I sell a lot in December for Christmas, Jasper."

"Well the wedding means you'll be in Boston for Christmas."

"I planned on flying in on the 16th. The wedding is the 20th."

"When did you plan on flying back?"

"The 27th."

"Alice that just won't work for me. If you want to fly in the 16th, I need you to fly out in January. I go back to work the 13th, could you leave the 13th too? I really want to take you to Hawaii and spend quality time with you."

"Does it have to be Hawaii? How many hours behind are they? Then I have to fly back to Venice? I'll never survive that many time zone changes. What about somewhere in the Caribbean?"

"Where?"

"Virgin Islands?"

"Expensive."

"So is Hawaii."

"True. We don't need to decide on a place let alone a resort now. I just need a time commitment from you Alice."

"I will stay until the 13th but I will want to spend a few days with my parents. You can come with me."

"That sounds reasonable to me."

"Jasper I need you to acknowledge that my life is in Venice. We'll make long distance work somehow but once we are married you will be the one moving."

"Alice have you ever thought about moving back home? You can build a studio there."

"I'm a Murano glass artisan Jasper, it's not Murano if it's made off the island. A studio in Venice wouldn't even work."

"What about kids Alice? Call me ignorant but I didn't see any schools in Venice."

"There is actually a very good international school that goes up to grade 8. The students are taught in Italian and English. I had a class visit me in May from the school. We have schools, Jasper."

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not Emmett and hoping to get you pregnant before we are even married."

"Yes, you might not be ready for marriage but I'm definitely not even thinking about children."

Good because I don't want to spend my entire life in Murano, Jasper thought. "So what would you like to do Alice?"

"How about going to the restaurant to get some of that wicked chocolate lava cake?"

"Go get dressed then."

"Do you want sexy Alice or sweet Alice?"

"Surprise me Pixie."


End file.
